Page 9 – Life Beyond Borders

Where to stay on Hydra island Greece

Bex Hall

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October 3, 2017

My post about Hydra Island, Greece introduced this Greek island with a difference to you and, I hope, convinced you to stay longer than a day trip. Here I show you where to stay on Hydra which, as I’m sure you can imagine, also has its element of something a little more out of the ordinary.

**There are some affiliate links through this post which, if you choose to use them, will earn me a small amount of commission, at no extra charge to you. Although I was hosted at the accommodation I experienced, all thoughts and opinions remain my own**

Where to stay on Hydra island Greece – Private Houses

We all know about AirBnB and how you can get the opportunity to rent a private property or a room in someone’s house through them, with the aim of a ‘real experience.’ Hydra offers a similar concept; the opportunity for private rentals – some with a minimum stay – ensuring you can really immerse yourself and soak up the island’s atmosphere by being located in either Hydra Town, or even up the side of a mountain with sweeping sea views, as was the case in my first ‘Hydra Rental’. All properties arranged for me by Hydra Direct.

Piece of advice: When booking your accommodation, do ask how far away from the port (your arrival point) it is and don’t be afraid to ask for assistance to take your luggage. Even if it’s a small backpack that’s a little heavy, as was my case, if the weather’s hot and even though the walk might be lovely, you won’t be able to appreciate it due to being exhausted. Hydra is hilly.

Where to stay on Hydra island Greece; Nicaela’s House

My first two nights on the island saw me staying in a beautiful house just up from the small harbour of Kamini perched on the mountain, surrounded by fields of goats, sheep and horses with sweeping views out to sea.
Nicaela’s House is owned by an American couple who had been visiting Hydra since 1976. They purchased and lovingly renovated Nicaela’s House in 2006 – named after the former owner.
It can sleep up to 4 people in two bedrooms and has two bathrooms.

Accommodation in Nicaela's House - Hydra island Greece. What a view! Life Beyond Borders — Accommodation in Nicaela’s House – Hydra island – Greece. What a view!

For me, the best thing(s) about Nicaela’s House were:

The location: Walking distance (uphill on the way back) to pebbly Kamini Beach which has a small, renovated 18th Century fort-like building offering restaurant and lounge bar. It’s a wonderful walk from the main town of Hydra along the coast path to the smaller harbour of Kamini, up and across the storm drains (dry in the summer, gushing in the winter) and through what can only be described as farmland and rough to be greeted by this beautiful house.
Or take a water taxi to Kamini Harbour.

Kamini Harbour - Hydra Island - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Kamini Harbour – Hydra Island – Greece

**As recommended above, this is one place you will want to ask for a mule or donkey to take your backpack or luggage.**

My Greek island all round packing list will help you decide what to pack for your holiday.

The views: Nicaela’s House has beautiful sea views (as does most of Hydra) due to its location, perched on the side of the mountain. It makes waking up in the mornings a delight: having sunlight streaming through the muslin curtains. As it’s north/south facing, one gets the best of the sun all day long. Sip a glass of wine on your veranda as you look out over the town in one direction or straight in front, the Peloponnese peninsula (hard to work with that view!)

Working view from Nicaela's House- Hydra Island - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Working view from Nicaela’s House- Hydra Island – Greece

Belly Pop the cat: Yes! There was a little cat. She had be properly looked after by being sterilised and never came in the actual house, but would be outside the property and the owners had a good supply of dry cat food in the house so if you didn’t mind, you could top up a saucer of food and water for her (outside on the terrace).
She respected your privacy, clearly knew who were cat people and who aren’t and I felt honoured to have this little added extra for occasional company. I’d leave a small amount of food out for her during the morning and evening…and top up her water regularly in the heat.

BellyPop the Cat at Nicaela's House - Hydra island - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — BellyPop the Cat at Nicaela’s House – Hydra island – Greece

Nicaela’s House has thought of everything; a well-equipped kitchen with goods to start you off, the wi-fi is fantastic (if you’ll need it – try to detox! Alas, I was on a ‘working vacation’). There are two double bedrooms, one upstairs – accessible by a very steep staircase, one down, both with lovely traditional touches such as exposed stone walls, ensuring the property is cool in the summer yet warm in the winter.

When this is your house in #Hydra Island, #Greece – and this is your view – why leave? The island of no cars has many privately rented houses – great traditional ones too. Bookable through @hydradirect @travwriters This is ‘Nicaela’s House’, named after her original owner

A post shared by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on Sep 19, 2017 at 8:12am PDT

See more about Nicaela’s House and reserve. The owners; Dino and Trina – who live a little way away downhill – are always on hand to answer any questions and recommend great places to visit, eat, etc.

Where to stay on Hydra island Greece: Avlaki Haven Studio

My next port of call for my remaining three nights on Hydra were near the small bay of Avlaki. Avlaki is a platformed, rocky little cove, almost, with no facilities…so be prepared to bring everything. It’s accessible from the main coastal road from town, walking down a steep staircase.
Avlaki Haven Studio is a really, really cute space situated up from the beach with your own gated access. It’s 100 sqm and although is one huge open plan, has been cleverly designed in a gallery style and curtained off bedroom so as to give the impression of different rooms. The bathroom was the piece de resistance for me, literally carved out of the rock and giving one the feeling of being under a waterfall! Really a place that incorporates the elements.

Today’s accommodation at Lily’s Place in #Hydra Island, #greece. As arranged by @hydradirect – sometimes staying in a place of your own with your own garden is just what’s needed. @travwriters @visitgreecegr Check out the slide show below

A post shared by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on Sep 21, 2017 at 4:27am PDT

Follow me on Instagram for more pictures of Hydra and Greece

The owner has her house above and either lets this out too in her absence, or you’ll meet her. Avlaki Haven Studio has a split level sunken courtyard garden for relaxing in to drink your morning coffee or eat your evening meal, with beautiful trees and flowers giving way to the sea view.

Although only one double bed, there is the possibility to convert the couch into another bed, hence sleeping up to 4 people is possible. There are numerous books to read, board games and cards to relax with – and a small office area with Wi-Fi to make your own if you do, alas, have work to do.

See a little video about Avlaki Haven, by Sounnepousse on YouTube.

My favourite things about Avlaki Haven Studio:

How well decorated and designed it was: Lily, the owner, is incredibly well travelled and has many nick knacks from her various sojourns around the globe in place in the studio. I felt like I was sleeping in a real home.
Furthermore, as mentioned above, the bathroom was literally carved into the lower rock, making the property ‘at one’ with the natural elements. Not only this: the stone flooring throughout kept the place cool in the summer, and no doubt cozy in the cooler months. I loved the galleried design and at night, so as not to feel as if I was sleeping on one huge room, would draw the curtains of the bedroom to close myself off, making it even more cozy.

The location to Avlaki Bay: Rising in the morning I would go for a quick dip in the bay – literally a 10 minute walk – then back up from the bay (be warned: steep stairs) to eat some breakfast on my choice of one of the two sunken terraces, before a little bit of work at the desk before heading out to lunch. What a way to start the day!

Avlaki Bay - Hydra Island - Greece - bluer than the Caribbean. Life Beyond Borders — Avlaki Bay – Hydra Island – Greece

Not really necessary to take a donkey: Avlaki Studio is amongst a little cluster of properties near the bay. It is possible to walk with (light or semi-heavy) baggage to the property from the port. It’s just up from the coast road and makes a lovely walk.

Things to note: Due to the design of the studio i.e.: low beams, children under the age of 12 are not accepted here. Take a look for more information and prices about the studio, and to contact the owner – Lily – direct to enquire about availability and booking.

My time spent on Hydra and staying at both Nicaela’s House and Avlaki Studio – both very different properties yet both with different qualities – gave me an insight into the different types of house to rent across the island. Both were situated away from Hydra Town, and this needs to be taken into consideration. There are properties that can be found nearer the town, Hydra Direct (who assisted me here) can help you with your property search suitable for your Hydra island holiday.

Where to stay on Hydra island – hotel suggestion

If it’s a hotel you’re still keen on, my recommendation would be the Hotel Orloff. It’s a boutique establishment with six lovingly restored rooms and two suites in an old mansion house dating back to 1796. It has an interesting history and was first turned into a hotel in 1986. Today it offers a gorgeous place to unwind with beautiful courtyard to take your breakfast and patios and verandas to while away your time in private.

I do hope I’ve tempted you to spend time exploring this unique island by showing you where to stay on Hydra. The island deserves so much more than just a mere glance a day trip offers. Come and be part of the island, part of its uniqueness, and I guarantee you you’ll want to return again and again.

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Where to stay in Hydra island, Greece. Your accommodation options

Things to do on Hydra island Greece – the island with a difference

Bex Hall

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October 3, 2017

16

Things to do on Hydra island Greece – the island with a difference

Everybody has their favourite Greek island, and for varying reasons. As you know, I research the Dodecanese islands of Greece for The Rough Guide to The Greek Islands (Rough Guides) and therefore have grown to really love this chain.

Hydra, however, is in a class of its own.

The name ‘Hydra’ stems from the Greek word for ‘water’ and is referenced for the island’s many natural springs.
Located about 1.5 hours, 37 nautical miles from Athens by high speed ferry from Piraeus port (€28 One Way – 2017 prices) or literally across the water from the Peloponnese region of Greece (see above map), it is possible to visit in a day, but I highly suggest you take time and make Hydra your choice of island to stay a few days, really soak up the island’s essence and special qualities, of which I shall share with you here.

**For an idea of what to pack for your Hydra holiday, read my Greek Island all round packing guide and download your free PDF printable version.**

**I was contacted by the Municipality of Hydra to come and experience the island myself…transport was arranged for me**
**There are some affiliate links throughout the post. If you choose to use them, a small amount of commission comes to me, at no extra cost to you**

Things to do on Hydra island Greece – Famous for no cars

Hydra is the island known for having no cars. It does, actually. One fire truck and an ambulance, and I think it also has one truck to take away the municipality rubbish that obviously accumulates (but I am not 100% sure). But indeed, the rest of Hydra is gloriously car and even better, motor cycle free.

This means that you rely on walking around, but be warned; Hydra is quite hilly. It consists of the main port, known simply as ‘Hydra Town’ – and other bays and islets, accessible as you wander.

Things to do on Hydra island, Greece: Water Taxis and Donkeys

You don’t have to – however – rely on your two feet. Hydra is the island that has donkeys and mules to cart goods around; from tourist’s luggage to their accommodation to locals carting their weekly food supplies around, or people, if needs be.

Donkey ready to take tourists to their hotel on Hydra Island, Greece

To reach the various bays around the island, the water taxis from Hydra Town whizz around at all hours of the day (and night – up to just after midnight, depending on the season – about €9 per person from Hydra Town to Kamini Bay, for example). I have to say, lying in bed at night, listening to the noise of boats zooming around as opposed to the city roar of motor bikes and cars is very refreshing.

Back to the donkeys: I’ve heard many visitors question the fairness of using animals to cart goods around, querying why the island does not modernise like every other island – but now we are reaching the crux of my article;

Hydra island – Greece – is unique, like no other Greek island. It’s like stepping back to the 1800’s (but with Wi-Fi) which can be seen through the architecture of the place, even its every day way of life – indeed, it is deliberately preserved as such to deter the average package holidayer.

Things to do on Hydra island Greece – architecture and the elements

As you approach the island, its architecture stands out immediately, almost Venetian in style. The many mansions in the harbour are old Captain’s mansions or shipowners – the most spectacular one, to my mind, being the Historical Archives Museum at the entrance of the harbour – a stone mansion founded in 1918 by shipowner Gikas Koulouras and renovated in 1996.

Things to do on Hydra Island, Greece. Historical Archives Museum, Hydra Port. Life Beyond Borders — Historical Archives Museum, Hydra Port, Hydra Island, Greece

Think about it: to undertake the construction of such magnificent buildings with no transport means, the inhabitants of the island have – throughout time – had to work hard to be at one with the natural elements, to evolve an organic relationship with nature and the sea. Even going about daily tasks takes planning: it’s not as if you can pop out in your car down the road to a big supermarket (there are none).

A local going about his business on Hydra island, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Photo by bwgtheatre A local going about his business on Hydra island, Greece

Hydra, therefore, creates a unique type of Greek; a person who respects and appreciates the beauty yet harshness of every day life here. In turn, this will create a unique type of tourist.

Things to do on Hydra island Greece – what type of holiday?

As a predominantly rocky island, sandy beaches are in short supply…however there are gorgeous swimming coves and bays all around the island. You can walk to these, or take a water taxi.

Stony beach on Hydra island - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Photo by bwgtheatre Stony beach on Hydra, Greece

The blue waters of Hydra make for gorgeous swimming, despite the stony beaches.

The main ‘point’ of Hydra, however, is to re-connect with yourself. This does not necessarily mean undertaking a yoga retreat on the island, although of course you can if you wish, but after talking with locals and spending time here, I realised that Hydranites are (rightly) proud of their heritage, this synergy between man and nature.

There’s an energy on Hydra that not every one can pick up on

I was told by more than one person. I outwardly smiled whilst inwardly thinking that most people from other Greek islands had declared the same about their own…but after only a few days, I began to understand what they were referring to. Indeed, Hydra has produced many famous Greek artists (as in poets, painters, musicians) and in the 60’s the Canadian singer/songwriter/musician/poet/novelist Leonard Cohen bought a house here.
It’s an island that inspires and nurtures the creative side that exists in us all.

Conclusion

Is it the fact that no cars exist that has kept Hydra joyously free of the package tourism? More than likely. As mentioned, every day life requires a little more thought on Hydra, it’s a gloriously ‘unsimple’ island.
I referred to the locals and throughout time, how they have learnt to not work against, but with the elements. This was evermore reflected in a local photography exhibition
“Faces of Hydra” whereby local professional photographer George Skordaras exhibited portraits of these local people, and the year after year returning tourists.

Faces of Hydra Island - Greece exhibition. Things to do on Hydra island, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Faces of Hydra Island – Greece exhibition

Their love of the island is clearly reflected on their faces, and their love of nature weathered into their features. The intention of the exhibition is to produce a book to take to various tourism exhibitions to showcase the culture of Hydra.

As an island, Hydra offers many cultural events throughout the year. It’s what the island is famous for, as mentioned; it cultivates creativity and artistry.

Your list of hotels to stay in Hydra

Furthermore, my article on Where to Stay on Hydra Island will give you even more incentive to want to come once you see the gorgeous houses and cottages to rent.

Hydra is an island to relax, to gain perspective, to gain synergy with the environment, to possibly even ‘bump into’ a very famous person; politician, creative professional, actor or singer. These people seek solitude with the occasional company on the island…they know they will be left alone as they quite happily mingle amongst every day people.
If it’s fuss, attention and fanfare they want, they go to Mykonos. Hydra, I hope I have shown, is entirely different in every way imaginable.

Yes, there is an ‘energy’ on Hydra that is quite apparent. I understand, now, what the locals refer to. It’s hard to define and I do hope you’ll travel there to discover for yourself.

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Views from the beautiful island of Hydra, Greece

Paddle Boarding along the Grand Western Canal, Devon – UK

Bex Hall

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September 26, 2017

21

Paddle Boarding along the Grand Western Canal, Devon – UK

I’ve been sea kayaking in Mykonos, Greece but never paddle boarding, and certainly not in my own country, the UK. Figuring the weather was always too cold to do such activities, I was a little reluctant at first when Rob of Rob Mc Paddling invited me to experience paddle boarding in Devon, and during the month of March no less! The weather in Britain is dubious at the best of times.
Due to a set of unfortunate yet conversely fortunate circumstances, I was actually ill with that vomiting virus during March (enough details I think!), meaning that as the paddle boarding day loomed grey and rainy – as was to be expected, I couldn’t go.
But we re-scheduled for August – and I’m so glad we did.

**My paddle boarding experience was provided for me free in order to trial it out. All thoughts and opinions remain my own**

Paddle Boarding along the Grand Western Canal – Devon

No getting out of it this time. The day loomed a little grey (it’s always grey at least once a day in the UK, even in the summer), but by the time midday rolled around, the sun was peeking through the clouds.

So, with trepidation but also excitement, I drove to our meeting spot to see what this Paddle boarding lark is all about.

Rob McPaddling

Rob is an affable chap. Living in the north Devon (or Cornish? – anyway, it’s the border) town of Bude, he jokingly relays how there’s a little completion between the surfers there, and people who like to kayak and paddle board like himself. I had tried surfing once, many years ago and yes, I have to admit – they felt like quite a ‘cliquey’ bunch, a superior air to them (just watch the film Point Break and you’ll understand).

But not so with Rob.

Paddle Boarding along the Grand Western Canal in Devon, UK. Life Beyond Borders — Paddle Boarding along the Grand Western Canal in Devon, UK

My Paddle Boarding Devon experience

Sensing my nervousness, Rob explained to me that this isn’t a competition and I can do as much or as little as I like. It’s not about perfecting any skills – or pushing boundaries – it’s about having fun.

I relaxed immediately. I knew then that I wouldn’t have to ‘pretend’ to be OK with something I wasn’t. So I peeled on the two piece wetsuit over my costume with less trepidation.

A bit about the Grand Western Canal – Mid-Devon

My Paddle Boarding experience would be along the Grand Western Canal in the town of Tiverton, mid-Devon. It used to run from Taunton, Somerset and ended in Tiverton, Devon and dates back to 1796, where the Bristol Channel in the north was linked to the English Channel in the south.

The Grand Western Canal - Devon - UK. Life Beyond Borders — The Grand Western Canal – Devon – UK

As well as horse drawn barge rides, it’s beautiful to walk along and observe the wildlife and there are some beautiful pictures that can be taken on the walks, especially of the old stone bridges spanning the Canal. Come and take a look around Tiverton as I show you around this mid-Devon town.

We joined the Canal at the Swan’s Neck – named because the canal literally loops like a swan’s neck.

Swan's Neck - the starting point at the Grand Western Canal for LifeBeyondBorder's Paddle Boarding experience — Swan’s Neck – the starting point at the Grand Western Canal for LifeBeyondBorder’s Paddle Boarding experience

Rob had inflated the boards and I’d donned myself with the wetsuit, and after a slight wobbly time getting on, I managed to kneel up and we set off.

Kneeling on the Paddle board with Rob McPaddle Boarding - Grand Western Canal - Tiverton — Kneeling on the Rob McPaddle boarding board along the Grand Western Canal – Devon – LifeBeyondBorders

We spend approx. two hours on the water in total during which time I managed to get relatively comfortable and take in the scenery around me; ducks, even a kingfisher!

Standing whist paddle boarding

Rob managed to get me standing – which took up probably about 30 mins in itself to get me to do! Trust me, it is not easy and I literally only stood for a photo op because I was wobbling around so much, not confident to try to paddle whilst standing.
Once I was back sitting down, I could comfortably practice turning the board around and enjoy nature.

Standing whilst paddle boarding along the Grand Western Canal - Devon - LifeBeyondBorders — Standing whilst paddle boarding along the Grand Western Canal – Devon – LifeBeyondBorders

Paddleboarding in Devon: Overall thoughts

I did enjoy it, once I’d got over the initial fear. Rob is a professional and makes sure you’re comfortable and do things at your own pace. He also only ever takes out small groups, ensuring a real personal experience.
Next time I am back, maybe I will brave Rob’s experiences sea kayaking or paddle boarding in the sea. Weirdly, I feel better about this because the Canal has pike inside, making me really nervous if I fell in! I never fell, but I’d prefer to fall into the sea, even the British sea.

Enjoying the wildlife whilst paddle boarding along the Grand Western Canal - Devon - LifeBeyondBorders — Enjoying the wildlife whilst paddle boarding along the Grand Western Canal – Devon.

If you’re in the West Country area of the UK at all and fancy undertaking something slightly different, Rob McPaddling takes people out year round, either Paddle Boarding or river/canal/sea kayaking. See his list of Frequently Asked Questions to discover more ie: what to take with you, etc. You’ll need to Contact Rob at [email protected] to get an indication of pricing, as it’s a very tailor made experience.

Enjoy yourself! Hotels and small B&B’s to book in Tiverton, near the Grand Western Canal.

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Paddle Boarding along the Grand Western Canal in Devon - Life Beyond Borders — Paddle Boarding along the Grand Western Canal in Devon – Life Beyond Borders

Recommended anti-theft travel items

Bex Hall

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September 18, 2017

10

When going on your travels, you have many things to consider. Depending on the location, time of year, type of holiday and even hemisphere will affect whether you pack warm or cool clothing. And do you take a backpack or wheelie bag, hand baggage or checked? So many things to take into consideration.

In fact, if you’re considering travelling to Greece, take a look at my Insider’s Guide to the Greek Islands to help you choose what time of year to go and my Greek Island All Round Packing Guide to help you decide what to pack. You can also download a free printable PDF copy.

One thing that shouldn’t be overlooked is how to pack and keep your belongings safe when travelling – and not just your passport or money.

Here I’ve compiled my recommended anti-theft travel items for you to consider.

**This post will contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small amount of commission if you choose to purchase from this site. This is at no extra cost to you** **Some travel products have been trialed out by me in order to see if they work. This is indicated throughout the post and an honest opinion is formed**

Recommended anti-theft travel items – basics

One thing that I think we can safely say we all like to travel with, regardless of season or weather, is the basics such as:

underwear (yep, definitely a necessity!)
t-shirts
tank tops (maybe)
items such as travel scarfs (good because they double as a pillow or head scarf)
leggings

What if I told you that the above items can come with hidden pockets to help you keep your valuables safely hidden away? This is where travel company The Clever Travel Companion comes in. They offer a range of innovative clothes such as:

male and female underwear with secret pockets
scarf with two hidden zipper pockets
unisex tank tops with hidden pockets
leggings and long johns with – yep, hidden pockets
(my favourite): Women’s fitted v-neck t-shirt with two hidden pockets

I trialed the t-shirt and it’s great for travelling in the sense that I can store my passport, London Transport Oyster card or even credit/debit cards, etc in these pockets. And the bonus? The pockets face backwards, meaning your belongings rest against you easily and don’t look bulky.

Looking for some travel slippers? My CP Slippers are a great travel product: easy to pack and slip on where ever you are.

Recommended anti-theft travel items – trousers and dresses

Recommended anti-theft travel items - cargo pants - Life Beyond Borders — Recommended anti-theft travel items – cargo pants – Life Beyond Borders

I was very excited to come across the company Scottevest. They have a range of clothing available for men and women – the ones that caught my eye were the Women’s Travel Pants and even Dresses and Skirts, all with hidden pockets. Their website is great as when you hover over the item you are interested in, it shows you what items can be tucked away and fit, and where.

Scottevest Women’s Cargaux Travel Pants with 11 hidden pockets and adjustable ankle ties. Two colours: Black and grey

Recommended anti-theft travel items - Scottvest dress with hidden pockets - Life Beyond Borders — Recommended anti-theft travel items – Scottvest dress with hidden pockets – Life Beyond Borders

Scottevest Dress with 7 hidden pockets, including in the back waistband. Made with cotton and spandex, it’s great for style and comfort, and perfect if you need to look smart too. Available in a range of colours.

Recommended anti-theft travel items - above the knee skirt with hidden pockets - Life Beyond Borders — Recommended anti-theft travel items – above the knee skirt with hidden pockets – Life Beyond Borders

A slightly above the knee Scottevest Skirt which is made from a mixture of poly and spandex. With 4 pockets, it’s great for travelling and casual/smart. Only available in black.

Recommended anti-theft travel items – jacket

Recommended anti-theft travel item - Joey Jacket with hidden pockets - Life Beyond Borders — Recommended anti-theft travel item – Joey Jacket with hidden pockets – Life Beyond Borders

There are a range of jackets on offer out there. It’s hard to know what to choose. I like the Global Travel Company’s Women’s Soft Shell Joey Travel Jacket. It comes with a range of unique features such as:

Zip Off Sleeves
Sunglasses Pocket (2)
Side Vents (Soft Shell)
iPad/Book Pockets (2)
Water Bottle Straps (2)
Hidden Pockets (2)
Earphone Holders
Detachable Hood
Microfiber Cloth
Built in Eye Mask
Cuff with Thumb Hole
Water Resistant
Built in Luggage Strap
Waist Adjuster

I was afforded the opportunity to trial out the jacket and found it stylish, yet practical. In fact, sometimes I can feel I have an item, but am so busy patting myself to see exactly where it is!

Joey Travel Jacket Pockets Diagram. Image © Global Travel Clothing Company

I particularly find the thumb cuff hole useful in this style of jacket because it means I don’t need to bother with gloves (in some seasons)…I can just cover my hands with my sleeves, yet still able to freely use them. There’s room on both sides of the jacket to spread your items out – and I recommend you do this. You don’t want to be left lop-sided! I have to admit: placing a water bottle in your jacket can weigh it down a little unnecessarily, in my mind. But there’s no real reason to ‘hide’ a bottle of water…maybe it’s just for ease of storage. I use my Joey Travel Jacket mainly for the essentials.

Recommended anti-theft travel items – Rucksacks/Hand baggage

No doubt about it: travel packing is an art – and I think it’s fair to say that most of us prefer to keep our luggage with us, whether for convenience reasons, or safety – especially if packing a laptop, Kindle, etc.

There’s a range of hand baggage on the market that has been specifically designed to conform with the ever stricter budget airlines hand baggage rules. One of these is Hynes Eagle, a U.S. Company that also offers business bags, laptop bags and travel accessories such as packing cubes and really useful portable electronic accessories organiser (for your cables, etc) – and able to fit in hand luggage (packing cube size).

I was fortunate enough to be able to trial out the following products by Hynes Eagle and highly recommend them; specifically for hand baggage and the handy electronics organiser. Most importantly, it keeps my laptop secure (scroll through the little slideshow of Instagram images below).

My Greek adventure starts with @hyneseagle helping me travel to Evia island ? I’m visiting @thermae_sylla, a multi Award-winning spa hotel to give a book reading of my novel #GirlGoneGreek My #HynesEagle 40L pack is great for weekend trips, also conforms to those pesky airline hand baggage regulations, meaning I can spread out my belongings and put it all inside.

A post shared by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on Sep 8, 2017 at 10:49am PDT

Recommended anti-theft travel items – Personalised luggage

For those of us that love our wheelie bags, both cabin and hold sized (and I am also one of them), what better than to actually personalise your luggage with a picture, or logo of your blog, book cover (as I’ve done) or company? That’ll ensure no-one accidentally/on purpose walks off with your luggage.

I love my personally designed wheelie cabin and hold bags by Personalised Luggage. As you can see, it has a design of the book cover of my novel Girl Gone Greek and also one of my site.

Life Beyond Borders and novel Girl Gone Greek personalised wheelie cabin and hold luggage - good for ensuring your bags aren't taken at the airport - and to stand out. Life Beyond Borders — Life Beyond Borders and novel Girl Gone Greek personalised wheelie cabin and hold luggage

Head to the Personalised Luggage site and if you’re interested in purchasing your own, when it comes to checkout time, quote code: BY16 TO RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT!

What are your favourite theft proof travel goods? Do share in the comments.

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Best theft proof items - including clothes - for travelling. What about you? — Best theft proof items – including clothes – for travelling.
What about you? Bottom image **© Bence Boros** Top image **© Bhuwan Dhingra**

The best theft proof items for travelling - including clothes and suitcases. What are your favourite items? — The best theft proof items for travelling – including clothes and suitcases. What are your favourite items? Image **© Bhuwan Dhingra**

Header Images © Bence Boros & Bhuwan Dhingra

Things to do in Minho region of Portugal

Portugal

Bex Hall

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September 14, 2017

24

Things to do in Minho region of Portugal

**Will contain affiliate links. This means anything you purchase through a link here will earn me a little commission at no cost to you, to help keep Life Beyond Borders running**

My trip to Portugal on behalf of Rough Guides allowed me to explore different regions such as the Douro Valley (famous for its wineries) and the amazing, almost pre-historic Geres National Park – Portugal’s only national park. Another area – also where Geres National Park is located – is known as the Minho region of Portugal. About 100km (62 miles) from Porto (the nearest city), the area takes its name from the Rio (River) Minho and encompasses the entire northwestern province of the country, the river winding its way to the Spanish border in the northeast.

Picture postcard landscapes, mountains, vineyards and historic towns await

Let’s take a look at some of the towns and places to visit and things to do in the Minho. Some of them are possible by day trip from Porto and this will be indicated, but why not book a stay in the Minho region?

Things to do in Minho Portugal: Guimaraes

Guimaraes is the place where Portugal’s first monarch – Dom Afonso Henriques – was born in 1110. Its medieval monuments, cobbled streets and old-fashioned squares give the place a sense of grandeur and it’s easy to see why Guimaraes in the Minho region has been awarded UNESCO World-Heritage status.

Town of Guimaraes in the Minho region of Portugal. Life Beyond Borders — Town of Guimaraes in the Minho region of Portugal

Guimaraes Castle

For me, the piece de resistance of Guimaraes is the castle; castelo in Portuguese. It was built in the 10th century to protect the people from attack by the Moors and Normans. After a long period of being abandoned, in the 19th century it was used as a prison for debtors and was rebuilt in the 1940s. It’s interesting to ramble amongst the walls and ramparts and battlements. Take a look:

The castle at Guimaraes - Minho region of Portugal. Life Beyond Borders — The castle at Guimaraes – Minho region of Portugal

Guimaraes Cable car

Guimaraes also has a cable car that takes you to the peak of Penha hill, with magnificent views over Guimaraes and surrounding district. The peak is surrounded by woodland and it’s a favourite Sunday pastime for the locals to take a picnic up there to eat and enjoy the view. It’s €5 return to take the cable car – a five minute walk from the edge of the old town.

Getting there: Guimaraes is approx. 50k northeast of Porto and can be reached easily by car (although park outside of town and walk in), by bus (1 hr from Porto; bus station 15 mins walk from the centre) or by train (1hr 10 min journey from Porto; ten minute walk to the centre).

Things to do in Minho Portugal: Braga

Braga is Portugal’s most important religious centre and one of the country’s oldest and most fought over towns. It’s thought its name came from the Iron Age Bracari people who are supposed to have founded the city, but then it fell into Roman hands. It was recaptured (eventually) by the Portuguese in the 11th century

Now you can expect a beautiful traffic-free boulevard with numerous coffee shops, restaurants and a rather unfortunate 1970s office block, but ignore that one blight on the landscape and Braga will offer you numerous choices of places to stay, both in and out of the city – and amazing churches.

Braga Cathedral - Minho Region of Portugal. Life Beyond Borders — Braga Cathedral – Minho Region of Portugal

Getting there: Braga is approx. 60km northeast of Porto and about a 45 minute drive up the motorway. You can catch the bus (one every 30 mins from Porto – journey time approx, 1 hr) or by train (one every half an hour from the centre of Porto, journey time 55mins to 1hr 10 mins. Train station is about a 20 min walk to the Old Town).

Things to do in Minho Portugal: Bom Jesus do Monte

Bom Jesus isn’t a town in itself – it’s a Baroque stairway and pilgrim church that lies in woodland 5km east of Braga. There are plenty of activities do to around here if you choose to locate yourself in one of the many hotels; horse riding, hiking, formal gardens and hidden grottos to visit and boating lakes. If you’d rather save your legs, a hydraulic funicular (€2 return) can take you from the bottom of the stairway to the church at the top.

Bom Jesus do Monte Collage- Minho Region of Portugal. Life Beyond Borders — Bom Jesus do Monte Collage- Minho Region of Portugal

Things to do in Minho Portugal: Barcelos

Barcelos isn’t all that spectacular on first glance…but it has an enormous square which houses an open-air market every Thursday which rivals any big open market in Europe, let alone Portugal.

Barcelos Market Portugal - Life Beyond Borders — Photo by GOC53

Barcelos – Minho region of Portugal

The Barcelos Cock - the famous symbol of northern Portugal. — The Barcelos Cockerel – the famous symbol of northern Portugal.

Not only does Barcelos sport a magnificent market, it also sports a magnificent “male hen”. Now before you go thinking I am getting all phallic on you, it truly is a cock(erel). There’s a history behind it…to do with pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela, wrongful arrests, last meals involving a cockerel and the bird flying away from the dinner table. Any visitor will see the emblem of the cockeral throughout Portugal: statues, key rings, on dishtowels, rooster-shaped ceramic figures…just about anything!

Things to do in Minho region Portugal: Monte de Santa Luzia

Monte de Santa Luzia - Minho region - northern Portugal — Monte de Santa Luzia – Minho region – northern Portugal

And my last recommendation for this region is the magnificent basilica of Monte de Santa Luzia, nestled above the Minho region town of Viana do Castelo. This town is on the Minho river coast – where the river meets the Atlantic ocean. The basilica can be reached by funicular railway from the town – just past the hospital (are you recognising a pattern here in Portugal, to reach landmarks?!) and saves you a good 30 minute walk uphill. €2 one way, €3 return.

It’s worth it to see the views over the river valley below, and out to the Atlantic.

This is Viana do Castello in beautiful northern #Portugal, looking out to the #Atlantic ocean. Stunning – with @cooltour_oporto

A photo posted by Rebecca Hall – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on Apr 1, 2016 at 2:18pm PDT

Getting there: From Porto by bus and train takes approx. 1hr 45 mins and there are 3-5 daily. By car it’s a one hour drive up the coast from Porto.

Town of Viana Do Castelo - Minho Region of Portugal. Life Beyond Borders — Town of Viana Do Castelo – Minho Region

I hope this has given you a taster of what to expect if you come to the Minho region of Portugal. Make Porto your base and discover things to do in Porto as well, and come and explore the Minho region. Discover where to stay in Porto and book hotels.

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What to do in the Minho region of Portugal. Bottom picture Praça_do_Municipio_Braga” (CC BY 2.0) by TurismoenPortugal

Top Things to do in Minho Region of Portugal - Life Beyond Borders — Top Things to do in Minho Region of Portugal – Life Beyond Borders

Gladstone’s Library – sleep amongst books

UK
Wales

Bex Hall

-

September 12, 2017

7

Gladstone’s Library – sleep amongst books

As most of my followers know, I am the author of Girl Gone Greek, my debut novel. Also I am a guidebook author for Rough Guides. This means that I’m a bit of a bookworm, whether reading or writing. So imagine my delight when I discovered there’s a library along the English/North Wales border where you can actually go and stay. And unlike the Book and Bed concept in Tokyo, Kyoto and Fukuoka in Japan; where guests stay in a hostel environment and sleep in cabin like beds behind the library of books, Gladstone’s Library is soooo much more than just a library or hostel where you sleep.

For your weekend break, read my anti-theft travel items – not that you’ll need it in Gladstone’s Library. It’s good to have for any onward travel.

**Despite any complimentary services received, all thoughts and opinions remain my own**

Gladstone’s Library: Location

Set in the cute north Wales border town of Hawarden in the Welsh county of Flintshire, Gladstone’s Library can be reached by train to Chester (nearest big town on the UK border to it), then a bus service that takes about 40 minutes. It’s literally about 40 minutes from the English border.
Hawarden village itself has a couple of pubs, the village school, church and Rectory (the place where the priest lives) and is a quintessential countryside village. It even has a popular cafe that is run by a Greek (you can’t go anywhere without meeting a Greek, even in a tiny village in North Wales, so it seems)! One of the nicest places in the village for me was the walk around the Medieval Hawarden Castle estate.

Ancient ruins of old Hawarden Castle - near Gladstone's Library, North Wales. Life Beyond Borders — Ancient ruins of old Hawarden Castle – near Gladstone’s Library, North Wales

A gorgeous walk around Hawarden Estate, near Gladstone's Library, North Wales. Life Beyond Borders — A gorgeous walk around Hawarden Estate, near Gladstone’s Library, North Wales

Gladstone’s Library – what exactly is it?

So I’ve mentioned it’s a library where you can stay. It is actually Britain’s only residential library: not where you literally sleep amongst the books, but where a small amount of residences/rooms have been made into a small boutique hotel. But it’s so much more than just a place to rest your head. In order to see why, let’s look at who Gladstone was and some of its history.

Wandering around the grounds of Gladstone's Library in North Wales — Wandering around the grounds of Gladstone’s Library in North Wales

Who was Gladstone?

When we refer to Gladstone, we mean William Ewart Gladstone who was a Victorian statesman and four times British Prime Minister in the 1800’s. He truly was one of a kind – for example, he was very much into:

Worker’s Rights
Progressive reform

William Gladstone - Gladstone's Library - North Wales. Life Beyond Borders — William Gladstone – Gladstone’s Library – North Wales

Due to his integrity and beliefs, he believed that the whole population should have access to free books, not just the wealthy (don’t forget we’re talking about Victorian Britain where the gap between rich and poor was exceedingly prevalent), so he therefore set about making his private collection of 32,000 books accessible to all. A true man of integrity indeed – and a politician (the two don’t usually go hand in hand).

Gladstone’s Library – Some history

William Gladstone set about constructing a small corrugated iron structure 3/4 of a mile (1.2km) from his home at the (now) old Hawarden Castle Estate, and because he didn’t trust just anybody with his book – his daughter, valet and himself (he was pPrime Minister at the time) wheelbarrowed all 32,000 of them the 3/4 mile (1.2km) distance to the tin library. Using his own unique cataloguing system, he unpacked and shelved them himself, ready for the local population to use.

When Gladstone said he wanted to:

bring together books who had no readers with readers who had no books

he wasn’t kidding. This was definitely one PM who put his money where his mouth is, and didn’t just pay lip service. I wish we had someone around like him today.

After he died in 1898, a public appeal was started to try to raise funds for a more permanent home for Gladstone’s collection, and £9,000 was raised (a huge amount of money in those days). This allowed a really impressive library wing to be built, and was opened in 1902.

Furthermore, the Gladstone Family further funded the building of a Residential Wing of the Library which opened in 1906, thus fulfilling William Gladstone’s wishes and to honour his extraordinary legacy.

Gladstone’s Library today

It is, indeed, the only Prime Ministerial Residential Library in the UK and, as William Gladstone would have wanted, is open to all. After the initial residential wing in 1906, it’s gradually been added to over the years to now houses 26 boutique and quirky rooms, most of them en-suite. There’s a gorgeous cafe/light meal restaurant, reading room, chapel and let’s not forget the original Theology Room.

En-suite double bedroom in the Resident's Wing at Gladstone's Library - North Wales. Life Beyond Borders — En-suite double bedroom in the Resident’s Wing at Gladstone’s Library – North Wales

Gladstone’s Library – The Theology Room

This houses Gladstone’s personal collection It is a complete quiet zone, no speaking beyond a whisper, and whilst stunning and beautiful aesthetically, it’s modern in that it has wi-fi throughout, so the only sound you’ll hear is the tap, tap, tapping of keys of other users hidden away, or someone stifling a cough!
Apart from the beautiful Grounds to wander around, the Theology Room was my favourite part of the whole Gladstone’s Library experience.

The Theology Room in Gladstone's Library - North Wales — The Theology Room in Gladstone’s Library – North Wales

I managed to get a lot of work done and felt very studious – almost as if history and education oozed out of every nook and cranny, spurring me on to work.

September 1st, #GladFest17 gets underway at @gladstoneslibrary – Britain’s only residential library ? It’s a Literary Festival in beautiful surroundings: the North Wales/England border. My #blog article about my experience staying at #GladstonesLibrary will follow soon @travwriters

A post shared by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on Aug 31, 2017 at 11:36am PDT

Today you’ll find regular Events held such as Gladfest – Gladstone’s Library’s very own Literary Festival, held every September and a plethora of Talks and Courses on offer.

So come to Gladstone’s Library to relax, read, think and be challenged. Meet likeminded people, or enjoy your privacy to get started on or complete your next book. I loved my time there and wish I lived nearer so I could visit on a regular basis, just to work in the Theology Room.

How about sitting here a while to unwind and read amongst the total quiet of @gladstoneslibrary and the ? books. Feel seeped in history and let the outside world drain away. It’s beautiful here. @travwriters #GladstonesLibrary

A post shared by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:41am PDT

Gladstone’s Library Facts

A single en-suite room costs from £75 a night
A double en-suite room costs from £98 a night
Rooms don’t have a TV, but do have wi-fi and an old-fashioned looking (but new) AM/FM radio, lending to that relaxing atmosphere, scholarly feel
It’s only 8 miles (13km) from the English city of Chester, and 18 miles (29km) to Liverpool, so you have a choice of unique cities to visit if basing yourself here. To be honest, during my three night stay, I just wanted to explore Hawarden itself. It has a Farm Shop with lovely cafe and as I said, the walk around the Hawarden Estate and woods was very special.

Gateway to Hawarden Estate and woods near Gladstone's Library - North Wales. Life Beyond Borders — Gateway to Hawarden Estate and woods near Gladstone’s Library – North Wales

Hawarden does have a small train station. You can catch a train from London (or elsewhere in the country) but it does entail two changes, one of them in Chester anyway. Therefore it’s much better to take the train to Chester then the 40 minute bus ride, which stops right outside the Library anyway.

My stay at Gladstone’s Library was truly unique in every sense of the word. Relaxing yet energising, downtime yet also able to really focus and work. If you prefer your own company when travelling, and even for couples who prefer an ‘intelligent’ place to stay, I would highly recommend booking a stay at Gladstone’s Library and being amongst like-minded people. Check their booking site here.

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Gladstone's Library in North Wales is the only residential library in the UK - built to honour four times British Prime Minister William Gladstone. Read all about what it's like to stay here. — Gladstone’s Library in North Wales is the only residential library in the UK – built to honour four times British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
Read all about what it’s like to stay here.

Street art in Athens by Alternative Tours of Athens

Bex Hall

-

September 1, 2017

11

Street art in Athens by Alternative Tours of Athens

Street Art in Athens, Greece

I knew Athens was a city with a lot of street art – but I wasn’t prepared for quite how much until Alternative Tours of Athens took me under their wing and hosted me on a comprehensive three hour tour of the neighbourhoods of Metaxourgeio and Gazi to see all the street art that these Athenian neighbourhoods had to offer – and a bit about their history too.

**This post was originally written in FEB15. It has been revised and re-posted in Sep17**

**All thoughts and opinions remain my own**

Street art [in athens] is a contentious form of ‘art.’ Many see it as graffiti and indeed, it cannot be denied that there is a lot of pointless defacing of already run down neoclassical buildings in Athens (no money for the upkeep of these beautiful houses).

Street Art in Athens – Tagging

Graffiti originated in America, but was actually pioneered by a Greek living in Washington Heights – Takis Demetrakis. In 1968, a lot of presidential campaigns were being stuck around the city, so Demetrakis thought ‘Why not me too?’ Any graffiti he drew was always ‘tagged’ with his signature. More on the origins of tagging and graffiti can be read here.

So I guess it is hardly surprising that street art is prevalent in Athens as the old saying that ‘everything originates from Greece (or the Greeks)’ can be true sometimes

Street Art in Athens: Metaxourgeio district

We met our guide, Maria, outside the – unfortunately now closed – Fashion House Hotel in Omonia Square. Our street art tour started in the neighbourhood of Metaxourgeio.

First off, the Praying Hands located near Omonia Square on Pireos Street.

Praying Hands streetart in Pireos St, Athens, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Praying Hands street art in Pireos St, Athens

A project overseen by Manolis Anastasakos in 2011, this 600 square metre work of art has been deliberately painted to represent a message that the city, due to the crisis, is in the prayers of God, praying down to them. He is praying at the inadequacies of a government to dispel the crisis. The hands, therefore, are God’s hands praying for the people on earth.

It’s a huge piece of street art on the side of a building that can hardly be missed.

As we wandered the side streets of Metaxourgeio, more and more street art popped up, along with the houses with a red light outside. “Oh these houses look nice, can we take a peek?” I innocently asked. Er no, Maria our guide led me gently away. They were brothels apparently.

It may look like a nice doorway - it is, in fact, an entry to a brothel. Street art tour - Athens, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — It may look like a nice doorway – it is, in fact, an entry to a brothel! Street art tour – Athens

Works of art in this neighbourhood include Alexandros Vasmoulakis – who uses expressionistic and pop elements, De who uses stencils and makes art out of the letters D and E and Vangelis Hoursoglou – or Woozy – who started a support network for graffiti artists in Athens called Carpe Diem, whose aim was to provide a legal network for artists as well as a canvass.

You’ll notice that due to a sign of the times, most street art in Athens has a political element / underlying message.

Metaxourgeio street art in Athens, Greece. All have a political element. Life Beyond Borders — Metaxourgeio street art in Athens, Greece

Metaxourgeio neighbourhood street art in Athens. Maria, our guide, in action. By Dreyk the Pirate and Lints. Life Beyond Borders — Metaxourgeio Street art – Athens. Maria, our guide, in action. Art by Dreyk and Lints

Metaxourgeio neighbourhood street art in Athens, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Metaxourgeio Street art in Athens, Greece

Street Art in Athens: Gazi neighbourhood

The Gazi district of Athens, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Gazi district – Athens

Next we had a look around the neighbourhood of Gazi – the old gas work district of the Greek capital. Here you’ll find a whole host of art, and not just from Greek artists either. International artists – i.e.: WD, or Wild Drawing from Bali have made their claim here.

Take a look through the art in this neighbourhood:

Street art in the Gazi district in Athens, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Gazi street art in Athens, Greece

Gazi neighbourhood street art in Athens - depicting a famous Greek mathematician combined with Einstein. Life Beyond Borders — Gazi street art – depicting a famous Greek mathematician combined with Einstein.

Street art by Achilles, a regular artist around Athens Gazi District, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Street art by Achilles, a regular artist around Athens – Gazi

There’re so many more pictures I could share with you. This is a great taster. Why not take a street art tour when you’re next in Athens? I’d highly recommend Alternative Tours of Athens – their knowledge is fantastic. They have a whole host of tours on offer – from gastronomy to ancient monuments, and fun tours for kids too.

Tips for your Street art tour of Athens:

Wear comfortable trainers or walking shoes. The tour takes three hours.
Bring a bottle of water
You will have a lot of names of artists given to you – so be sure to bring a notepad and pen
A three hour walking tour costs €10 Euro per person, with a €30 Euro minimum before the tour will take place (i.e.: 3 people minimum). To learn more, visit their website.

Need ideas of where to stay when you come to Athens? Check out some great deals, as well as my small luxury hotel experience
My Insider’s Guide to Visiting Athens will help you plan further activities to do when you’re here.

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Street Art in Athens — Street Art Athens

Luxury accommodation in Portugal – Sleep in a converted Monastery

Bex Hall

-

August 30, 2017

10

Luxury accommodation in Portugal – Sleep in a converted Monastery

**Note: Despite any complimentary services received, all thoughts and opinions remain my own**

One of the best things about my visit to Portugal was the opportunity to visit beautiful areas such as the Douro Wine Valley region, and to explore and stay in Porto.

Portugal has also converted many old monasteries into five star lodgings and associated with the Small Luxury Hotels of the World brand. They are small(ish), intimate, lovingly restored to retain the original features yet not the basics you would expect in their original form. I was fortunate enough to experience a night in northern Portugal sleeping in luxury in a converted monastery at the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares.

Luxury accommodation in Portugal – location of Pousada Mosteiro de Amares monastery

Nestled in the Peneda Geres National Park, 13km west of Rio Caldo – a place dramatically situated in a ‘bowl’ surrounded by mountains and with a huge reservoir, the place to head in the National Park if you wish to partake in any water sports – lies the tiny village of Santa Maria do Bouro. There really is not a lot here – except exceptional beauty, a gorgeous church, the locals going about their every day lives, and the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares.

Church next to Pousada de Amares converted monastery in the tiny village of Santa Maria do Bouro, Portugal. Life Beyond Borders — Church next to Pousada Mosteiro de Amares in the tiny village of Santa Maria do Bouro, Portugal

Beautiful entrance to the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares Monastery/luxury hotel - Geres National Park - Portugal. Life Beyond Borders — Beautiful entrance and grounds to the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares – Geres National Park – Portugal

Luxury accommodation in Portugal – history of Pousada Mosteiro de Amares

To be honest, I’m a little unsure of the correct name. All the signs around this accommodation refer to it as Pousada de Santa Maria do Bouro – which is the name of the town (a pousada is a place to stay in Portuguese, usually government administered). But the ‘hotel’ refers to itself as Pousada Mosteiro (Monastery) de Amares (Amares is a town about 27 km west of the Geres National Park). I suspect when the monastery acted as a monastery, it was the Mosteiro de Santa Maria do Bouro (The Monastery (of the town of) Santa Maria do Bouro). Get it? Yeah – I sort of do too.

Anyway:

According to legend, two hermits lived in the village many centuries ago. Over several nights they both saw lights on a rock and after investigation, discovered an image of the Virgin Mary hidden by other hermits to keep her safe, as the country at that time was under Muslim occupation. A small hermitage was constructed to harbour this image, and this in turn attracted pilgrims, leading later to the construction of the village’s very own monastery.

The 12th century saw the monastery join the Cistercian Order, but religious Orders were extinguished in 1834 hence the monks living in Mosteiro de Santa Maria do Bouro were expelled and the building sold by auction. The building started to degrade, but not the church next to it.

Pritzker Prize winning architect Eduardo Souto Mouro presented, in 1989, a plan to adapt the premises to a Pousada (accommodation) and works began in 1994, with the opening of the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares in 1997.

Luxury accommodation in Portugal: Inside Pousada Mosteiro de Amares

The old stone monastic corridors have been retained, and the monk’s cells restored into beautiful en-suite bedrooms with comfortable double beds, internet access and gorgeous views from the windows to the forested valleys beyond. The monastery is built in a square around a courtyard, so all corridor windows look into this gorgeous and peaceful courtyard. Accommodation is on two floors, and wandering along the corridor to my small but comfortable and relaxing bedroom, I looked out at the courtyard and couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace.

The corridor, bedroom and courtyard of Pousada Mosteiro de Amares in Portugal. Luxury accommodation. Life Beyond Borders — The corridor, bedroom and courtyard of Pousada Mosteiro de Amares

Breakfast was eaten in the beautiful restaurant on the ground floor level, again with original features such as stone arches, magnificent fireplace and masonry reminiscent of medieval times.

Breakfast area - Monasteiro de Amares - Monastery now a luxury hotel in Portugal. Life Beyond Borders — Breakfast area – Pousada Mosteiro de Amares

An example menu of an evening meal at Pousada Mosteiro de Amares Monastery:

Convent Codfish (of course! It’s impossible to go anywhere in this region without some dish consisting of cod)
Octopus in Olive Oil and Garlic in minced White Cabbage
Free Range Chicken with Malandrinho Rice
Pork Meat – Amares style
Caramelized Apple and Geres Honey with Porto Wine
Chocolate Souffle with Ice Cream and Raspberry sauce

Naturally, dietary restrictions are catered to if advanced notice is given.

Overall, the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares is a perfect place to stay for one or two night as you explore the Minho region of Portugal and the Geres National Park. It’s also the perfect place to arrange your wedding or reception.

Amenities in the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares

Set in historical and aesthetically beautiful surroundings
Restaurant
Bar
Minibar in room
Outdoor swimming pool
Tennis court
WiFi Access
Parking
Laundry service
Safe

**Please note: As part of my Rough Guide research, I was a guest of Oporto Adventure Tours. **

Facts: The Pousada Mosteiro de Amares offers 32 rooms and is open all year round. Prices average at EURO €201 a night in Mid-Season (01APR-28JUL and 18SEP-31OCT) for a double room. Weekend rates (Sat night) creep up.

Book your accommodation at Pousada Mosteiro de Amares where you can see the deals on offer.

I thoroughly enjoyed my night at the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares. It was an alternative place to spend the night, seeped in history and beauty. I found myself wondering if a monk had slept in my room before it was converted, and my overactive imagination wondered if he would be visiting me that night! But no, the only noise I could hear, through my open window, was the hoot of an owl in the wooded valley of the National Park in the distance.

If you’re looking for something a little different during your stay in this region, don’t miss out on the opportunity to stay here.

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Pousada Mosteiro de Amares -stay in a converted monastery in northern Portugal.

Stay in a Monastery in Portugal! LifeBeyondBordersBlog

Celestyal Cruises – Around the Aegean islands, Europe

Bex Hall

-

August 27, 2017

6

Celestyal Cruises – Around the Aegean islands, Europe

**Note: Despite any complimentary services received, all thoughts and opinions remain my own**

For those of you who’ve been following my site, you’ll have known about the themed cruise I was invited to take part in with Celestyal Cruises.

I embarked the ship at the port of Lavrion, the third port of Athens, approx. 68km from Athens and depending on your taxi driver and traffic, takes about an hour) and we set sail about midday on 8^th July 2016. Our first port of call was to be Mykonos in the evening.

Take a look at my Insider’s Guide to the Greek islands and be tempted to visit, as well as my Insider’s Guide to Visiting Athens and Greek Island Packing List for when you decide to visit. My free downloadable PDF link to this packing list.

Insider Tips for taking Ferries in Greece gives you a full description of the various ports in Athens and the country.

Cabin on board Celestyal Cruises

I was shown to my cabin. The great thing about boarding this Celestyal Cruise was that upon check-in, they take your baggage from you and when you reach your cabin, it’s waiting for you outside. Maybe all cruises operate this way, but I’ve never been on one before, only a container ship voyage. My cabin was located on Deck 4. It had no balcony but did have a lovely big porthole which let in a huge amount of light. And the housekeeping staff used to make up my towels into lovely creatures daily. I’d love coming back to my cabin at night to see which creature awaited my on my bed.

Animal Towels in my cabin on Celestyal Cruise of the Aegean Islands - Europe. Life Beyond Borders — Animal Towels in my cabin on Celestyal Cruise of the Aegean Islands – Europe. Life Beyond Borders

Muster Drill on board Celestyal Cruises

We also helpfully had a Daily Information Sheet, which informed us about the daily schedule; excursions to pre-book in each port, entertainment to expect that day and night and also, on that first day, we were to expect a Muster Drill. Then the announcement came.

Grabbing my life jacket and donning it over my head, I tried to remember what the airline crew told us about ‘passing it over our heads, wrapping the cord around our waist’ etc. I joined the throng of people in the corridor and we were met by various crew members who instructed us to join the relevant lifeboat area. After a head count – to ensure all passengers took part – we were off!

Food on Celestyal Cruises

Oh the food! A la carte or buffet, the choice was endless…and with three meals a day—even breakfast a huge affair—Celestyal offered a different menu daily, usually depending on the port of call and offering the specialties of the day.

I am sure that to spend any longer than a week on board and I would put on at least an extra kilo or two, if I haven’t already!

Celestyal Buffet. Note the Greek God faces cut into the watermelon. Life Beyond Borders — Celestyal Cruises Buffet. Note the faces cut into the watermelon!

Daily life on board a Celestyal Cruise around the Aegean

Life pretty much settled into a routine during my seven nights on board the Celestyal Crystal. The crew were mostly Cuban (the ship re-positions to tour around Cuba at some point and in fact, this ship will re-position permanently there) and as mentioned before, there were shore excursions available at each port; spa packages;

Spa on Celestyal Cruises - Aegean cruise, Mediterranean. Life Beyond Borders — Spa on Celestyal Cruises

a variety of afternoon and evening entertainment on offer – and this is where my book presentation of Girl Gone Greek came in.

Note: This particular cruise was either a three-day or four-day one, with most passengers opting for either/or. I was lucky enough to be invited onto the whole 7-day package.

Girl Gone Greek presentation on board Celestyal Cruises

I had the opportunity to display my books and generate interest in them during the Bazaar on the first day of the 3 and 4 day cruise. It was more of a chance to show my face and for my display to catch people’s eyes as to be expected, because it was the first day, people were pretty overwhelmed with the ship, their surroundings and excited about the days to come.

Girl Gone Greek book display on Celestyal Cruises. Life Beyond Borders — Girl Gone Greek book display on Celestyal Cruises

On the evening of the third day, there was a theatrical performance of Shirley Valentine and once again, I had the opportunity to drum up interest in my novel and talk as I displayed outside the theatre. This time, a few people stopped to chat to me, asking about the topic of Girl Gone Greek and why I chose Greece to live in. I told them they’d have to attend my talk the following day to find out!

My presentation itself was introduced over the tannoy and despite the fact I’d presented before, I still felt the familiar nerves and sickness building up—will that feeling ever go away?! Despite this, the talk went well. I gave a rundown as to what Girl Gone Greek explores; a woman’s ability to find a home away from home, to find a culture that suits her personality, and a country that treats her as one of them, a nation of people that warmly embrace her…interspersed with the humorous characteristics of the Greeks and their sometimes wily ways.

The questions and discussion was interesting afterwards. For me, it was interesting to note the types of questions from the different nationalities.

One Greek woman came up to thank me very much for my feelings of positivity about her nation, especially as, she remarked;

Greeks are made to feel so downtrodden at the moment. It’s lovely to hear of someone from Northern Europe who appreciates us and doesn’t criticise us.

Cultural Differences observed on board a cruise

One American couple were almost apocalyptic about the fact I chose to come to Greece ON MY OWN, knowing NO-ONE and take a job teaching. When I discussed with them that many Europeans and British people (and Australians) travel alone and it’s not really a big deal for us, they widened their eyes in disbelief!

I patiently explained the geographical differences between Europe and America, and that Europe is a continent, but America is a country and that a 4 hour flight in Europe takes you to a completely different country with different language, sights, smells, food, etc. and we relish this opportunity to explore. In the U.S., because their country is so huge, I gently suggested that maybe they prefer to explore their own country – plus the airfares abroad may be very expensive. When put like that, it seemed to make sense to them…but I could tell it took some getting used to for them; the fact that people take himself or herself off travelling alone. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but it felt good to show a different side of travelling—especially through the eyes of Rachel in Girl Gone Greek.

For further tours around the Greek islands, check out a 5-Day Boat Trip to Syros, Mykonos and Santorini
A recommended list of Hotels in Athens to stay in before you start your trip.

Final words about Celestyal Cruises

I’d never been on a cruise before. It was a lovely opportunity for me to drum up interest in my debut novel. The cruise itself was short and for the short amount of time spent in each place, the crew did very well. They were always smiling, despite what must have been quite a stressful time.

A three-day themed cruise package on Celestyal costs on average per person from €337
A four-day themed cruise package on Celestyal costs on average per person from €498

Check their site for various themed packages and all that’s included. If you only have a short time in this region of the Mediterranean and want to explore all you can and take advantage of the shore excursions, a cruise on board Celestyal is just for you.

Milos island Greece as visited by Celestyal Cruises. Life Beyond Borders

Mykonos island, Greece as visited on a Celestyal Cruise. Life Beyond Borders

Syros - as visited on board Celestyal Cruises. Life Beyond Borders. — Syros – as visited on board Celestyal Cruises. Life Beyond Borders.

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Celestyal Cruises – Around the Aegean islands, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Celestyal Cruises – Around the Aegean

Cruising around the Greek Islands with Celestyal Cruises and LifeBeyondBorders

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

Bex Hall

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August 23, 2017

4

Every year, in the west country city of Bristol, over a four day period usually in August an extravaganza takes place; be sure to look up into the skies and be amazed at what’s above you. I’m talking about Europe’s largest annual meeting of Hot Air Ballon’s; the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.

**This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to use them, it makes me a small amount of money to keep this blog going – and no extra cost to you**

So, what exactly is it, where is it held and what can you do? I was lucky enough to be able to experience the Fiesta with fellow Bristol travel blogger Heather on Her Travels who acted as the perfect host and guide.

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta – Ashton Court

Ashton Court Estate – located a 10 minutes drive from the centre of Bristol, spans 850 acres (344 hectares) of woodland and open fields. There is an enclosed area for deer, and the old stables have been converted to a cafe area – great for relaxing after you’ve walked and to sit and soak up the views of the surrounding area and the city in the distance.
Every year, it hosts the Bristol International Balloon Festival as it has a large area that’s turned into an ‘arena’ – where the balloons can inflate and take off from.

Ashton Court Estate - where the Bristol International Balloon Festival is held annually. Life Beyond Borders — Ashton Court Estate – where the Bristol International Balloon Festival is held annually

Bristol International Balloon Festival – what to do

More than 130 hot air balloons from across the globe and locally attend this annual event, since it started in 1978. Entry is free and there are a number of activities once you’re there – both paid and free, so let’s take a look:

Fairground Rides

From Helter Skelter to Ferris Wheel to bouncy castles, there are numerous fairground rides you can have fun on, for young kids to the young kid in you.

Ferris Wheel at night at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Life Beyond Borders — Ferris Wheel at night at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

NightGlow

Twice during the period of the Bristol Balloon Festival, a grand finale of the day is rounded off at nighttime. It’s known as the NightGlow event and, depending on how windy it it (and the typical British weather), a handful of balloons are tethered to the ground in a circle and inflated, then music is played and they light up the sky with their burners in time to the music. It’s pretty spectacular, with a fireworks display afterwards. See my short video of the experience here.

Morning Rise

In the morning, very early and weather dependent, you can head to Ashton Court in time for a 6/6:30am Balloon Rise. When the weather’s great, you can witness the ascent of all the balloons – they stagger their rise.
It’s quite incredible, as you can see from the pictures below…and the little video.

Balloon Rides

This leads us nicely onto the Rides at the Bristol International Balloon Festival. So long as you book at least 4 to 6 weeks in advance, you can book yourself a ride on a hot air balloon! I was fortunate to be invited as a member of the Press through We Are Plaster PR company which allowed me access to the Press area of the event, hence I was able to (safely) wander in and out of the balloon launch field and get right up close.
Unfortunately all the balloon rides had been taken, and I’m not surprised! It’s a fantastic experience to be had.

Local companies in the Bristol area that offer Balloon rides include Bristol Balloons and Bailey Balloons. These can be booked not just at the Bristol Balloon Festival, but at the times of year they operate.

Getting ready for the Bristol International Balloon Festival Morning Rise with Bailey Balloons. Life Beyond Borders — Getting ready for the Morning Rise on the arena field – Bailey Balloons

During the actual Festival, they have various times they go up and operate, but the dawn and dusk (morning and evening) ascents are the best. Worth getting out of bed to experience a dawn rise, even from the ground as I was.

Safari Park Hot Air Balloon at Bristol International Festival. Life Beyond Borders — One of my favourite balloons – a Safari Park.

Places to stay in Bristol for the International Balloon Festival

Naturally you’ll want to come and stay in Bristol when you’re visiting the Balloon Festival, so here you can find a list of recommended hotels in the Bristol area. My favourite is the Bristol Harbour Hotel, located in the city centre. It’s boutique and luxurious, and worth treating yourself. You can book here and find special offers.

There’s so much to see and do in Bristol as you wander around, so be sure to visit this west country city not only for it’s International Balloon Fiesta.

Have you been to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta and / or had a Balloon ride? Share in the Comments.

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Bristol International Balloon Fiesta - come and explore what all the 'hot air' is about with Life Beyond Borders — Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

Morning Ascent - Bristol International Balloon Festival — Morning Ascent – Bristol International Balloon Festival

Header image courtesy of Heather Cowper of Flickr

Have fun kayaking in Mykonos

Bex Hall

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August 20, 2017

18

When one thinks of going to the Greek islands, it’s usually to spend time relaxing on the beach, sunning oneself and swimming. When one thinks of going to Mykonos in particular, images of lazing by the beach all day then partying the night away are what comes to most people’s minds as Mykonos is renowned for being THE party island. There is, however, much more to the party island of Mykonos than meets the eye. When I visited Mykonos back at the end of September 2016, the weather was still warm, if a little windy. I was delighted to be offered the chance to go kayaking in Mykonos with Mykonos Kayak Tours and Trails.

For a recommended list of what to pack when travelling to Mykonos or, indeed, any Greek island, see my Greek Island Packing List and get the free downloadable PDF here.

Full day’s kayaking on Mykonos

The day dawned bright and early at9:30am – and my friend whom I was staying with drove me out to Agios Sostis beach, to the north of the island in a little horseshoe shaped bay known as Panormos Bay (see map).

Agios Sostis is beautiful with its small church, rugged views and the delicious Kiki’s Taverna which offers grilled meat and the most delicious array of salads you’ve ever seen.

My top things to eat and drink on Mykonos also helps you decide where the best food is on the island.

Salads at Kiki's Taverna at Agios Sostis Beach - Alternative Mykonos - Greece - LifeBeyondBorders — Salads at Kiki’s Taverna at Agios Sostis Beach – Alternative Mykonos – Greece – LifeBeyondBorders

So from the outset, my kayaking in Mykonos experience was already one of aesthetic beauty. But I was also very mindful of those winds blowing off the sea – Is it safe? I’d never kayaked before, so was naturally a little concerned. September can be a very windy month in these islands…not cold, but windy due to the Meltemi winds.

Ag. Sostis church and beach on #Mykonos, where I went on my sea kayaking trip! Such simple beauty

A photo posted by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on Sep 27, 2016 at 5:11am PDT

Mykonos Kayaking Tours

Mykonos Kayaking Tours and Trails is a small family run business, and it doesn’t even feel like a business. Husband and wife team Kostas and Jo – together with their two sons Nikos and Alexi – started their ‘business’ actually as a hobby back in 2007. As they grew more and more in love with the nature around Mykonos; the caves one can explore, the wildlife, they discovered they wanted to share it with people, and so the hobby turned into a business.

When the summer season comes into full swing, further guides come and help and all guides, including the family, are BCU Certified – British Canoeing Union, so you can rest assured that you’re in safe hands. This certainly put my mind at rest as I watched the swell of the sea!

My experience of Mykonos Kayaking

As mentioned before, my friend dropped me off at the meeting point – Agios Sostis beach. Jo and Kostas can go and collect you by minibus from your hotel or wherever you’re staying in Mykonos though, and will liaise with you well beforehand as to pick up time, etc.

Our group of about 18 of us gathered around the entrance to the church and had our safety briefing. We were made up of individual travellers like myself, couples and small groups of friends. There’s a small little storage area affixed to the church where the life jackets, wet suites (if you want one), snorkels and masks are kept (yes, we also had the chance to go snorkelling! But more on that later) and we kitted ourselves out.

Kayaking demo, Mykonos Kayaking. Life Beyond Borders — Kayaking demo in the grounds of Ag. Sostis church, Mykonos

Then we were divided into two groups because, as you can imagine, 18 is rather a lot to all kayak in one go. I decided to go with the group who would snorkel first.

Snorkling in Panormos Bay

Our group first went to snorkel around the bay, just from the beach at the base of the church. Jo came with us and managed to catch a few sea urchins that we’d use in our picnic lunch later in the day. OK, don’t expect Caribbean like waters when you snorkel, but there’s some pretty fish around and it’s always fun to see what’s swimming around under you.

Sea urchin found with Mykonos Kayaking, Mykonos, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Sea urchin found with Mykonos Kayaking

Then came our turn to sea kayak.

Reef riding

As mentioned before, I was growing concerned because the wind had picked up and as a first time kayaker, I had no idea if this was safe or not! It turned out for this trip, we would go ‘Reef Riding.’ Reef Riding entails two people in a kayak and the main rower sits behind, i.e.: the ‘professional’. We paddle up to the small channel in the reef and wait for the waves to come (against us) and literally paddle into them!

It sounds dangerous, but after my first attempt (and with the knowledge I had one of Jo and Kostas’s son rowing in the back), I realised how exhilarating it was to feel the power of the sea and wanted to go again, and again, and again! We were invited to ride straight through the channel if we wanted to, but were warned that we weren’t guaranteed we wouldn’t capsize…so naturally I declined!

Lunch

And then came one of my favourite parts of the day: food/lunch.
Kostas and Jo offer a ‘picnic’ lunch but it is far from a picnic in the sense of the word that we’re used to. This is a ‘Greek’ picnic, eaten sitting at Jo and Kostas’s place near the church, sitting outside, and as Greeks love to celebrate food, you can imagine the size of the picnic:

Three different types of cheeses, mostly made from sheep’s and goat’s milk
Homemade Tzatziki (yogurt, garlic and cucumber dip)
Fresh bread
Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers
Fresh olives
Different selection of meat cuts
Honey drizzled on bread
Tiropita (feta cheese pie)
Spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese pie)

and any number of salad items. Asked if I wanted seconds and I had to respectfully decline…it was all very delicious, but I was pleasantly full.

Delicious lunch with Mykonos Sea Kayaking. Life Beyond Borders — Delicious lunch with Mykonos Sea Kayak

Trying the sea urchins with Mykonos Sea Kayak. Life Beyond Borders — Trying the sea urchins with Mykonos Sea Kayak

We then passed the afternoon away by catching up, chatting about our experience and towards 3pm, Jo and Kostas started the rounds to take people back to their hotels or cruise ship via a stop to take photos along the way.

Conclusion for Sea Kayaking on Mykonos

For its price at €90, the kayaking in Mykonos trip is good value and includes:

Sea Kayak
Paddle
Life Jacket
Snorkelling Equipment
BCU Certified Guides
Local experts
Safety Demonstration
Paddling Lesson (before you set out on your Reef Ride or Kayaking trip)
Full picnic lunch
Snack
1.5 litre of Mineral Water
Photos (taken by Kostas and emailed to you after the trip. This is great so you can concentrate on enjoying yourself)
Transfer to/from hotel/cruise ship
Stop off to take more pictures along the way

What to wear / bring

Shorts, t-shirt, cap/sunhat, suncream, water shoes/sandals, towel

**Note: I was a guest of Mykonos Kayak and all thoughts/opinions expressed here remain my own**

Have you ever been kayaking on a Greek island? Did you enjoy it? Share your Comments here.

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All photos © Mykonos Kayaking

**Originally posted in MAR17. Revised and updated in AUG17**

British vs Greek Culture

Bex Hall

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August 17, 2017

8

The British vs Greek Culture debate could be considered by some as controversial. I’ll be looking at various topics that I consider make up cultural differences, and aim to look at why (even if there is a why). Therefore this post is purely subjective.

Looking for Greece in the palm of your hand? My Greece’s Best Travel App for your iPad, iPhone or Android device will help you conveniently explore the country.

Take it as you will: tongue in cheek for some of the issues, or slightly more seriously. This is not a university dissertation. Either way, I hope it makes you think, maybe even smile.

Take a look at my Insider’s Guide to the Greek islands and be tempted to visit, as well as my Insider’s Guide to Visiting Athens for ideas of what to do on a city break, and my Greek Island Packing List for what to wear and pack when you do decide to visit. My free downloadable PDF link to this packing list is useful to print out.

British and Greek Culture: The Pub vs Coffee

It’s a well known fact that British people like to drink alcohol. This is a gross generalisation, so let me break it down.
A lot of cultures like to drink alcohol – but there are varying attitudes to it. Take this article, for example. The UK ranks lower than others in actual consumption of alcohol, but the quote:

Drinking yourself insensible is not only acceptable, it’s admired

is quite telling within British culture; it’s admired to drink yourself stupid. And it seems on the continent they’ve had enough of it too. This article shows us how, finally, the infamous resort of Malia in Crete has had enough of ‘Boozy Brits’ coming along and spoiling its image and is wanting to change that image.
Now then. Some of you may point out that the resort had been keen enough to profit from this booze culture in the first place – so it’s quite hypocritical of it to now have enough.

My question: well yes, they – and other resorts across the Mediterranean – have taken advantage of this. But that’s the whole point! There was the ability there in the first place to take advantage of Boozy Brits! If you like: Brits didn’t become ‘boozy’ just because of a resort in the sun and by the sea and sand. They brought their ‘booziness’ with them in the first place. (I am British by the way – before you think this is a ‘hater’ post). So I guess a more probing question is; where does this desire to want to get drunk in order to have a good time come from?

Pub photo. Life Beyond Borders — Photo by Veex

Also, I feel it necessary to add that I understand that not all Brits are boozy abroad. And that also there are some other Northern European cultures – or Australians – that can fall into that category too. But this article’s looking mainly at British and Greek culture.
If you’re interested to understand the cold weather and fewer sunlight hours study increasing chances of alcoholism, take a look at this scientific study here.

Let’s look at the ‘Coffee culture’ of the Greeks:

Coffee Culture in the Mediterranean - Life Beyond Borders — Photo by Jeremy Ricketts on Unsplash

In my time living in Greece the difference I’ve noticed in British and Greek culture when it comes to socialising is;

Greeks start to go out at approx. 11pm
They won’t drink alcohol at home first with a ‘to get drunk’ attitude
When Greeks go out, they will have eaten a (usually family) meal together first
Alcohol, like wine, may be served with the meal – therefore it’s seen as a culturally acceptable drink, not something to get drunk on
Greeks like to hang out in bars, sure. But they are also particular lovers of coffee. There are certainly more coffee shops per square mile than in the UK. And they will take their time nursing one coffee – maybe 3 hours or so. This is because they’re so busy chatting with each other.
They will often go out in an evening to drink coffee too. Or if they do drink alcohol, there isn’t the thought process behind it that they will consciously make an effort to get drunk. It’s not ‘admired’, to re-quote from above.

To my mind, is seems the combination of sun and holiday ‘mode’ seems to do something to some visitors. OK – enough about the ‘drink to get drunk’ culture.

British and Greek culture: Food

In my experience, there is far less ‘fast food’ in Greece than in Britain. KFC: not many to be found (certainly not down your average high street), the same for McDonalds. In fact, the only time I grab a McDonalds is when I go to Athens International Airport.

Greeks will spend a long time over their food. A meal is not something to put into your stomach merely to fill it to ensure you get through the day. It’s something to be savoured and enjoyed…in fact, the Greeks really respect that ‘food is life.’

Chicken souvlaki photo - staple Greek diet. Life Beyond Borders — Chicken Souvlaki Photo by kae71463

What do the Greeks eat? Well, I am impressed with their fast food of souvlaki and gyros: the former being chicken or pork meat served as small cubes on a stick with fries (‘proper’ fries i.e.: cut from real potatoes) and sometimes served on a pitta bread with salad and sauce such as tzatziki, the latter served exactly the same on a pitta, but it’s chicken or pork slices). Their ‘fast food’ is almost healthy!

Greek Gyros - Life Beyond Borders — Gyros Photo by morrissey

Of course, there are so many other choices of food in Greece, but this is not the post for that. The point I wish to make is that I strongly believe that the Greek approach to mealtimes and fast food served is ‘healthy’ in so many ways. You can look at recommended Greek food blogs.

Are you tempted to holiday in Greece yet?

British and Greek culture: the language

It’s true when they say that language and linguistics can shape a culture. When I used to teach English in Greece, I first thought that they were being incredibly rude. Then I came to understand that it was language differences, not rudeness that shaped the people.

EG: Greeks don’t say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ nearly as much as we do in the U.K. – and if you’re excessively polite in Greece, you’re considered, actually, to be someone not to trust. Think about it: what are you hiding behind that smile? Why do we use so many words in the UK to say what we really mean when a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ will do?

For example:

Do you like my new hairstyle?

(Looks for a few moments)

No – I really don’t.

Hey, at least I know where I stand.

The Greeks will also shout a lot – even when they’re not angry. It’s a form of expression, along with:

Backslapping
Hugging (man to man and woman to woman as well)
Kissing on both cheeks in greeting and goodbye (man to man and woman to woman as well)
Saying what they REALLY mean instead of implying (see above example re: haircut)
Using less words to ask for what they want, e.g.: “Give me that pen”

Once you’re used to it, you realise that in actual fact, you know where you stand much more quickly. There’s very little two facedness – if they don’t like you, they won’t bother you.

British and Greek Culture: flouting laws

Yep – the Greeks flouting even basic laws seems to be a national pastime, and one that I have mixed feelings about. There’s a great post here about the Top Non-Smoking Bars in Athens which the author interestingly felt she needed to write because, despite there being a non-smoking law in place in bars and cafes, you can bet your life Greeks don’t abide by this.

smoking greece photo. Life Beyond Borders — Photo by kohlmann.sascha

This is one thing I do miss about the UK, along with the fact that things seem to work in the UK. There are basic systems in place i.e.: if you’re fed up with receiving all these unsolicited calls from cold calling mobile phone companies, you can report them to a Watchdog of some sort. Things like this just don’t exist in Greece. I’m sick of my siesta being interrupted by a Vodaphone caller trying to persuade me to go onto their network.

Which leads me to:

British and Greek Culture: Siesta

Some people get irritated by the siesta culture – not just in Greece but the southern Mediterranean in general. I think it’s an essential part of life. First off, you have to understand how hot it gets in these countries, even with A/C. And I love that scientists have now proves that siesta is good for you. Hell, even when I come back to the UK, I take a siesta in the afternoon and I am much more productive in the late afternoon.

Don’t forget; southern Europe is an outside culture…their lives are led outdoors and the weather is conducive to that, so no huddling miserably looking at the rain from indoors. Therefore daily life starts early, shuts down in the scorching heat of the day and then back to work and finishes late in the evening.
Where else can you honestly say you can get a Dr’s or Dental appointment at 9pm at night, not intruding on your work day?

siesta photo. Life Beyond Borders — Siesta Photo by pedrosimoes7

Have you travelled to Greece or Southern Europe? What have you noticed about the cultural differences? Share in the comments below.

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British Vs Greek culture - a look at the cultural differences between these two very different countries — British Vs Greek culture – a look at the cultural differences between these two very different countries

Where to stay on Karpathos island, Greece

Bex Hall

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July 30, 2017

7

Where to stay on Karpathos island, Greece

I recently wrote a post about things to do on the beautiful Greek island of Karpathos, in the Dodecanese chain of islands. But obviously if you’re going to travel so far to such a remote Greek island to see such a gorgeous place, naturally you’ll need to stay somewhere, and somewhere good. Let’s take a look at where to stay on Karpathos island, Greece.

For your very own free downloadable Greek island packing list ideas, click here.

Where to stay on Karpathos – the port of Pigadia

Pigadia is the main port of Karpathos island and offers a wide variety of places to stay. As it’s the main base, alas it gets very touristy, meaning many of the hotels cater to package holiday crowds – which aren’t personally my thing. However, if you’re willing to go a little out of the town – yet still within walking distance and don’t mind not having a room overlooking the beach – you’ll find a lovely choice: Hotel Alex.

Alex Hotel - Karpathos - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — © Hotel Alex – Karpathos – Greece

Nestled at the base of the lovely pine forest that extends from the mountains, Hotel Alex has it’s own landscaped gardens and swimming pool and offers 25 rooms, all with a pool view and buffet breakfast using local products. It’s run by a family from Karpathos, so if you book to stay here, you’ll be assured of a genuine experience, and also local knowledge.

Come and explore where to stay on the remote Greek island of Karpathos. Life Beyond Borders — Come and explore where to stay on the remote Greek island of Karpathos

Where to stay on Karpathos – the village of Lefkos

As mentioned in my Things to Do and See in Karpathos, Lefkos is quite a way from the main port of Pigadia via twisty-turny roads up, then down through the mountains. But it’s worth coming out here. If you choose to base yourself in this neck of the woods (literally!), I’d highly recommend the Lefkorama Hotel. OK, it’s not right on the beach like some of the properties, but its ten rooms are nestled in pine woodland, has breakfast included in the price and free wi-fi, all have balconies and sea views and the best bit; it’s another place that’s run by a local Karpathian family who can offer great tips on where to visit, eat, etc.

Lefkorama Hotel in Lefkos village - Karpathos island, Greece. Where to stay on Karpathos. Life Beyond Borders — Lefkorama Hotel – Lefkos – Karpathos.
Photos © Euromoto Karpathos

Plus, their son runs the local Euromoto car hire in Pigadia, meaning car hire can easily be arranged at competitive prices. The car can be picked up or dropped off for you at any location.

Be sure to mention Life Beyond Borders when you make your reservation for a discount.

Where to stay on Karpathos – the beach of Amoopi

This has to be my favourite location of all to be based, and a spectacular hotel in my opinion. Amoopi is just far enough outside of the bustle of Pigadia to be a quiet place (5 minutes drive), and offers its own beach.

Where to stay on Karpathos island, Greece: Althea Boutique Apartments - Ammopi beach - Life Beyond Borders — Althea Boutique Apartments – Amoopi beach – Karpathos

My highly recommended place is the boutique experience of Althea Boutique Apartments. It’s a 10 minute walk to the beach, the sixteen suites all have their own personal touches that make a stay at the Althea a unique experience. With sea views from the orthopaedic mattresses – some with iron bedheads, some four-poster – and bits of driftwood made into artful lamps for example, it makes it hard to want to actually leave this place!

Althea Boutique Apartments - Ammopi Beach - Karpathos, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Althea Boutique Apartments – Amoopi Beach – Karpathos

All have patios for chilling out on as you watch the setting sun, and you’ll be set up for the day with the three course breakfast of croissants (inc. chocolate – yum!), fresh fruit and yogurt plus a hot dish of the day such as Karpathian omelette – all made with vegetables grown on the property.
A true Karpathian experience!

My live video on #Karpathos #Greece. All part of @roughguides research for #GreekIslands book, due out 2018. Such a beautiful morning. #BGTW #femaletravelbloggers

A post shared by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on May 24, 2017 at 11:35pm PDT

So I hope I’ve tempted you with your accommodation choices on Karpathos and made your planning easier. There are, of course, many other villages to explore and stay – for example the remote, mountainous, traditional village of Olymbos. There are a range of accommodation options there, take a look. Whilst it’s way up in the mountains, it’s an interesting place to stay for a couple of nights, maybe not your whole time on the island due to its location.

Read my Luxury Athens Beach Hotels guide to help you plan a stay along the Athenian Riviera
Planning on spending any time in Athens before coming to Karpathos? My Things to do in Athens will help you plan for this
Top Things to Eat and Drink in Athens will help you find some traditional Greek food and where to eat it. You’ll even find this food on Karpathos

Have you been to Karpathos island, Greece? Anywhere you’ve stayed that you’d particularly recommend?

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Come and explore where to stay on the remote Greek island of Karpathos. Top photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kostas-limitsios/14399114188/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apella beach, Karpathos, Greece</a>" (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank" rel="license noopener noreferrer">CC BY 2.0</a>) by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/kostas-limitsios/" target="_blank" rel="cc:attributionURL noopener noreferrer">limitsios</a> — Come and explore where to stay on the remote Greek island of Karpathos. Top photo Apella beach, Karpathos, Greece” (CC BY 2.0) by limitsios

The lesser known Greek island of Karpathos, Greece has a whole host of accommodation to suite all budgets. Take a look at some of the best accommodation on the island. — Althea Apartments – Amoopi Beach – Karpathos Greece

Discovering Methana in the Peloponnese, Greece

Bex Hall

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July 30, 2017

8

Discovering Methana in the Peloponnese, Greece

During my stay at Live-Bio in the Galatas area of the Peloponnese in Greece, I was afforded the opportunity to visit the relatively unknown seaside town of Methana.

Where is Methana, Greece?

Methana is a town and a peninsula, considered part of the Attica region / district as it’s only about 101 miles / 162.km and a 2 and a half our drive from Athens, on the eastern peninsular of the Peloponnese region of mainland Greece.

Methana is a volcanic area and over the years has recorded over 30 volcanic eruptions in different areas. The last land eruption happened near the town of Kameni Chora in 230BC, but the most recent eruption was underwater in 1700AD.

As the Methana region is situation in the northwestern point of the Aegean, not far from islands such as Santorini, Nisyros and Milos, future eruptions are expected because this is an active area for volcanos.

Read my Greek island all round packing guide to know what to pack for your trip to Methana
Spending any time in Athens before your Methana visit? Then read my Things to do in Athens guide for more info

Region of Methana, Greece in the Peloponnese. Life Beyond Borders — Region of Methana, Greece in the Peloponnese

Methana Greece – the town

The seaside town of Methana, to be honest, is nothing really spectacular. Due to its volcanic origins, the smell of rotten eggs (sulphur) gradually creeps up on you as you drive in. It has several cafes, bars and a spa you can visit. Unfortunately there is no website for the spa, and no phone number I could locate so I would suggest just turning up and asking the locals where it is. Or, if you stay at Live-Bio in Galatas (approx. half an hour’s drive away), the friendly hosts can advise you and maybe even arrange a visit for you.

Methana is predominantly a town popular with Greek tourists.

Beaches of Methana Greece

There are some beautiful small beaches on the outskirts of Methana, plus a drive out towards the volcano offers spectacular views. You come across small seaside villages such as Vathý – perfect to stop and eat in a taverna, and with a population of only approx. 129 people, it’s really quaint.

The region of Methana itself is dotted with small villages if you choose to drive into the surrounding mountains, or stick to the coast and you also won’t be disappointed by the small coves here and there.

Sulphurous waters of Methana, Greece and surrounding beaches. Life Beyond Borders — Sulphurous waters of Methana and surrounding beaches

Town of Vathy near Methana in the Peloponnese region of Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Town of Vathy near Methana.

Methana, Greece Conclusion

To summarise, if you’re staying on the Greek island of Poros – just a 5 minute boat ride from Galatas, or Galatas itself in the Peloponnese, you can’t go wrong if you take some time out to explore this predominantly undiscovered region.

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Methana region of the Peloponnese in Greece...perfect for a weekend break from Athens. — Methana region of the Peloponnese in Greece…perfect for a weekend break from Athens. Photo
“Poros backstreets” (CC BY 2.0) by Grey World

Greek island of Delos – guarding the archeological site

Bex Hall

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July 29, 2017

6

Greek island of Delos – guarding the archeological site

The ancient UNESCO Greek island of Delos, located just 3.5 km from the party island of Mykonos and yet a world away in terms of things to see and do, is world famous – for those in the know and who love Greek mythology – for its ruins and as being the birthplace of twins Artemis and Apollo.

As you wander the sites of the temples and sanctuaries dedicated to the Gods and explore the small museum – none of which’ll take you long as the island is merely 3.43 sq km (1.32 sq miles) – you’ll see little houses dotted around and may become intrigued, thinking about the opportunity to stay the night on Mykonos’s quieter neighbour.

Greek Island of Delos, near Mykonos. Life Beyond Borders — Delos

Don’t be fooled. Yes, there are houses – some with bright plants and flowers adorning the front…but these are not for staying in. In fact, it’s not permitted for any member of the public to stay on the Greek island of Delos – and there are Guards that protect Delos from this very occurrence. You can stay on Mykonos and take a day trip.

I was lucky enough to meet Efthimis, a bear of a man yet with kind eyes and a gentle soul who met me when he’d been seconded to guard the new VANITY exhibition – focusing on adornments to the human form from 7000bc to the 2800’s – at the Mykonos Archeological Museum during the autumn of 2016. I refer to Efthimis as the ‘Delos Guard’ and found his insight fascinating. I hope you will too.

Check out you Greek island recommended packing guide here with your free downloadable packing list
Check out some other top things to see and do on nearby Mykonos
Top things to eat and drink on Mykonos

Guarding the Greek island of Delos: meeting one of the Guards

The Greek island of Delos: meeting one of the Delos Guard's - Life Beyond Borders — The Greek island of Delos: meeting one of the Delos Guard’s – Life Beyond Borders

So what’s it like to guard a UNESCO, mythical island and stay there at night amongst the ruins? The sun is setting over Mykonos and the museum isn’t busy – a perfect time to chat with the Delos Guard, and a magnificent setting.

Before coming to Delos, Efthimis was a guard at the Acropolis in Athens. In 2011 the opportunity came up for him to come to his home island of Mykonos to be ‘stationed’ at Delos. He jumped at it.

Qualifications to be an antiquities Guard in Greece

Educated to a higher education level (one level above high school), the requirements of a Guard job of antiquities in Greece is two years in higher education which must have a history background.

Staying on the Greek island of Delos

There are as many as 40-50 guards on Delos in the summer months in those little houses, but during the winter, Efthimis is often alone on a remote island with no shops.

As previously mentioned, tourists cannot stay on the island, merely visit for day trips. But The French Archaeological School houses archeologists and students in their building during research trips in the summer.

How to guard the Greek island of Delos

So why the need to have guards staying on the island all year round? And if no-one really visits in the winter, why stay in the winter?

First of all, there could be potential health problems with the visiting students and archeologists. Remember, this is an island with literally no facilities – and supplies are shipped in. Efthimis gave me the example of a young student who was bitten by a snake and had to be taken at 2am to the hospital on nearby Syros island.

Then there’re the people who feel they can just rock up with a tent and try to pitch it and stay overnight. Before the last boat is due to leave, times vary depending on the season, Efthimis and his crew have to scour the island to ensure that no one’s hiding out with romantic or adventurous notions of staying under the stars (as nice as that may sound).

But perhaps most importantly, the Delos Guard has to make sure no-one tries to steal any antiquities, no matter how small. You’d be amazed at the amount of people who think it is quite OK to take something from a World Heritage site!

Efthimis cites another example of an American lady who came to Delos and managed to take a small piece of mosaic with her. Three years later, Efthimis received a letter from the lady with the mosaic enclosed. She felt guilty and returned it. Not only this – and let this be a lesson to you all – the lady claimed she now believed in the ‘Evil Eye’ as she’d suffered badly from migraine headaches. Since she’d returned the item, she swore that the migraines have disappeared.

Looking after the land of the Greek island of Delos

And these are just the ‘people’ aspects of the Delos Guard’s role. During the winter months, Efthimis has to plough the fields, takes care of all the maintenance on the island; plumbing and electricity, for example – and he also cleans the marble and mosaics – keeping them maintained and not left to rot to the elements.

Working on Delos Island, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — The Delos Guard Working on Delos Island, Greece

He really is a ‘jack of all trades’, and I am impressed by this man.

Guarding the Greek island of Delos: potential problems

But come on now – you can’t spend most of the year on a remote island and not face some problems. I am intrigued to find out what, and Efthimis is very open about them.

Electricity and Internet only came to the island in 1992. But Efthimis seems a pretty self-reliant man and actually prefers his own company

Food is delivered twice a week by boat in the winter months. But once, Efthemis didn’t see a boat for 27 days due to bad weather. What’s a man to do? Well, he has a ‘Survival Cupboard’ and survived off tinned vegetables and macaroni. Oh, and wild ‘horta’ (greens).

Long hours. Officially Efthimis is paid for 7 hours, but in reality – and especially in the busy season, he can work anything up to 23 hours. But his accommodation in the little house is free, except for food and the phone.

Loneliness. This doesn’t appear to have affected dear Efthimis, my Delos Guard. But he lowers his voice at this point and looks almost pained, as if remembering colleagues and confiding:

You must be able to find things to do on the island, otherwise the remoteness and loneliness during the winter could drive one to drink, even psychological problems.

Hmm, is that the cries of Artemis and Apollo out there, the island that Zeus is reputed to have created for them, or just the wind howling?

When I tentatively ask him if he’s ever felt isolated or lonely, he smiles.

I love nature. There’s always something to appreciate in nature and this job appeals to people like me I think. Also, I am very good at finding things to do. I work March to October with no break (7 days a week) and, oddly, I miss it when I’m not there.

Guarding the Greek island of Delos - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Efthimis on Delos – it’s hard to not like this job with that view.

And so my time with the Delos Guard comes to a close. I’ve enjoyed myself immensely in his company and feel sad to leave him. One thing’s for sure, he seems very happy and proud to guard the island. And, probably because he loves nature so much, this is what makes him such a gentle man, and a gentleman.

One final word:

Guarding Delos is not just a job, it’s a way of life.

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Come and meet the man who 'sleeps amongst the Gods' on the Greek mythological/archaeological site island and site of Delos, near Mykonos — The archaeological island of Delos, near Mykonos, is a must visit. Photos **© Alex Healing**

A look at canal life in London UK

Bex Hall

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July 28, 2017

2

I recently wrote a post about luxury barge accommodation in London on London’s canals, specifically Little Venice. I was intrigued as to what drew the owner to restore canal boats – it’s certainly a different place to stay, and as my post showed, very enjoyable.

London canal life is a very specific way of life. The owner – Sam Barbic kindly answered my questions.

Why such an interest in canal boats, Sam?

I’ve always been fascinated by narrow boats and wanted to live on one and experience canal life. Specifically, I’ve always been fascinated by smalls spaces and wanted to design for small spaces such as caravans, sheds, aeroplanes. Also to update spaces that are really quite dated (Sam was a set designer in a previous life).

So the idea came to me when I was designing airbnb flats for a friend and thought; “I can do this.” But one problem: I couldn’t afford to buy a flat, so I thought;

“How about a boat?”

See more of London by going on a unique London walking tour
Discover some of London’s most delicious food by going on a food tour of the city

My neighbour had moved on to a narrow boat and this fired up the idea:

What a great way to introduce people to this amazing, hidden world of canal life right in the centre of London!

Boutique Barges offers two lovingly restored 57 foot narrow boats to rent along London’s canals: Barbara and Velvet Morning. I asked Sam:

Why buy these two particular barges to renovate?

I looked at hundreds of boats on the internet, nothing inspired me until I saw Velvet, which was at that time called Fern. She had so much character. I drove down to the city of Bath in Somerset to see her, and fell in love instantly. All practicality went out of the window.

Inside Velvet Morning - canal life in London - Boutique Barges. Life Beyond Borders — Interior of Velvet Morning – Boutique Barges

She is over 100 years and was set up for shore line marina mooring. I knew nothing about boats. We needed up putting her on a truck and having her delivered to Watford where we then drove her to London; a two day trip with many mishaps as I had no boating experience.

Velvet Morning - Canal life with Boutique Barges. Life Beyond Borders

I bought Barbara from Reading [a town near London] and she was a colourful, character laden modern boat. The opposite of Velvet. We steered her back from Reading along the canals, which was the most incredible 5 day trip through the villages of Henley, Windsor and then on to the Thames. Quite beautiful.

How long did it take to do both barges up?

Velvet took about 3 months to do up. We really started from scratch on her and had a lot of basic work to do like electrics and plumbing. Barbara was much quicker and more aesthetic work such as a paint job and new, soft furnishings.

Barbara canal boat - Boutique Barges. Life Beyond Borders — Exterior of Barbara on the Regent’s Canal – London – Boutique Barges

Both boats were re-named and had new exterior paint jobs and graphics. The overall ‘ooh and character’ of the boats has always been very important to me.

I have to say, having experienced canal life on both boats, the ‘ohh and ahh’ factor has definitely been maintained; Velvet is more boutiquey; she even has a bath. Barbara is just as boutiquey, but more practical. Both have wood burning stoves, making a stay in early spring very cosy and homely.

Interior of Barbara - Boutique Barges. Life Beyond Borders

Canal life in London

In my short experience of it, I can comfortably say I enjoyed it…for a short break. I think to maintain a boat properly must be incredibly hard work – and I commend Sam for the passion and love she indulges into both of them.

Don’t hesitate to book your canal life stay

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When coming to London, why not stay in a luxury canal boat instead of a hotel? Come and explore life on the canals with me. <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/6602248655/' target='_blank'>Regent’s Canal</a>" (<a rel='license' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/' target='_blank'>CC BY 2.0</a>) by <a xmlns:cc='http://creativecommons.org/ns#' rel='cc:attributionURL' property='cc:attributionName' href='https://www.flickr.com/people/garryknight/' target='_blank'>garryknight</a></div> — Canal life in London. Regent’s Canal” (CC BY 2.0) by garryknight

Things to do on the lesser known Greek island of Astypalea

Bex Hall

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July 20, 2017

32

Things to do on the lesser known Greek island of Astypalea

As part of my research for the guidebook company Rough Guides, I am lucky to be able to discover places off the beaten track. One of those is in the Dodecanese chain of the Greek islands, a small island called Astypalea.

The lesser known Greek island of Astypalea, at 114 sq km (44 sq m) in area and with only roughly 1,500 permanent inhabitants, gets more visitors in the high season of the summer months than actual locals.

For helpful tips of what to pack for a holiday to Astypalea, see my post Greek all round packing tips.
Learn how to travel responsibly when coming to Greece for your holidays. There will be some cultural differences you may be unaware of so it’s good to prepare yourself.

Astypalea – Real Greece

Shaped like a butterfly and named after the nymph who caught the eye of Poseidon, God of the Sea (I don’t know if the nymph was shaped like a butterfly herself, or even if she was one – but let’s move on): the great thing about Astypalea is that there’s no package tourism here – making it a brilliant draw for independent travellers and people wishing to experience a real Greek island holiday.

Why come to Astypalea?

The fact it doesn’t attract package holiday crowds (due to lack of package holiday hotels and even though it has an airport, it’s so tiny and can only accommodate propellor aircrafts, plus pretty infrequent and sporadic ferry connections), makes it even more appealing to the adventurous amongst you. Just because it offers approx. 2 ferries a week from main islands like Rhodes or Kos – and one a week all the way from Piraeus – shouldn’t detract you from visiting this little gem.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why I’d recommend coming.

Chora of Astypalea

Most Greek islands have what’s referred to as a Chora. This is a small ‘town’ (not in the sense that you or I would term a town), sometimes the capital and it’s usually located at the top of the island, offering 365 degree views of the island and sea surrounding it. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a kastro (castle) as well.

Helpful sign on the way to the Kastro of Astypalea island, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Helpful sign on the way to the Kastro of Astypalea

In Astypalea’s case, I would strongly advocate coming to the island even if you just visit the chora and its kastro. The walk to the kastro – built in 1207 by the Venetian Querini family – takes you through the bustling main town; past tourist shops, eight abandoned yet still in good shape red-roofed windmills that look proud and stately, the ubiquitous kafenio where the elderly Greek men sit outside and stare obviously at you – but not in a creepy or intrusive way – and then the windy ascent; my favourite part.

Gorgeous walk up to the Kastro of Astypalea island - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Gorgeous walk up to the Kastro of Astypalea island – Greece

It’s here you’ll start the uphill climb to the castle through small alleyways, houses drenched in bougainvillea and prettily painted doors and shutters.

Some of the ? doorways found as you wander the twisty turny streets of the Hora of #Astypalea. @roughguides #RGOnTheRoad @travwriters #BGTW

A post shared by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on Jun 23, 2017 at 12:15pm PDT

It’s great to get lost, actually, and just marvel at the typical Greek scene.

For more Greek island scenes, head to my Instagram account.

Wanderingthe streets of Astypalea Island - Greece — Wandering the streets of Astypalea Island – Greece

Kastro of Astypalea

So once you’ve found your way to the top of the Chora, you’ll not be able to miss the kastro (castle). Little more than a ruin, it’s free entry through a huge wooden door and has ‘official’ opening times, but as this is Greece, it’s pretty much left open during daylight hours, and I found the best time of day to go there was at dusk – before sunset; great light for photography and a much cooler time of day to walk up.

Astypalea’s kastro is unique in that it didn’t have battlements, it consisted of stacked up facades of private houses. And well into the 20th century, people lived inside these walls, but gradual depopulation and finally, in 1956 a massive earthquake meant the castle became a mere shell.
Even so, the views out across the sea are spectacular, and the Church of Evangelismos stands proudly intact within the walls.

Church of Evangelismos inside Astypalea Kastro - Astypalea island - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Church of Evangelismos inside Astypalea Kastro – Astypalea island – Greece.

Well worth a visit.

Livadi

A 15 minute walk (so the guidebooks say – but I’d hitch a ride with a local on a moped if I were you – the walk back is uphill) from the Chora and you come to the pretty resort village of Livadi. The pebbly beach makes for lovely bathing, plus it’s the Chora’s quieter neighbour, albeit not necessarily as aesthetically pleasing. Still, there are a couple of luxury choices of places to stay such as the Kalderimi Hotel – located on a hill with sweeping views of the area, or the Pylaia Boutique Hotel, on the road from Chora to Livadi with small bungalows spilling down the hillside.
There are numerous places to eat in Livadi itself, and it’s great to while away the hours swimming, eating and drinking frappe. A true Greek summer lifestyle.

In the other direction from the Chora you’ll find the unremarkable, slightly concrete Pera Yialos with a tiny uncommercial harbour, but it does offer the sumptuous, and affordable, Stampalia Studios – with gorgeous, comfortable CocoMat bedding and terraces with sea views.

Astypalea really doesn’t have much else to do except explore numerous beaches. There’s only one main paved road running not even the entire length of the island. Locals are friendly…as I ate my lunch at the taverna in Livadi, the owner obviously took a shine to me:

The orange umbrella and blue bed on the beach is mine. Just go and use it rather than pay for one, then when you’ve finished, I tell my ‘usband to take care of kids – I take you back to Chora on back of bike.

To my mind, it’s the perfect get away island to experience Greek hospitality in its truest form.

View of the Chora and Kastro of Astypalea island - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — View of the Chora and Kastro of Astypalea island – Greece

I was a guest at the Astypalea Palace Hotel – a 9 suite accommodation, one with private pool and honeymoon suite – that spills from the hillside just outside of the Chora with gorgeous sea, Chora and kastro views.

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Astypalea - Things to do on this lesser known Greek island - LifeBeyondBorders — Astypalea – Things to do on this lesser known Greek island – LifeBeyondBorders

Symi Thea Hotel – Symi Island – Greece

Bex Hall

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June 17, 2017

8

Way back in 2014 when I first started researching for Rough Guides, I had the opportunity to visit Symi, a small island with a lot of Venetian and Neoclassical architecture, in the Dodecanese chain of Greek islands. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to return and see what’s changed and take a look at the hotels.

Symi island – Greece: where is it?

As you can see from the above map, Symi is very near the Turkish coast. This makes it popular with visiting yachts during high season, especially at the weekend. It’s also very near to the large Dodecanese island of Rhodes, making it a popular day trip destination. However to really make the most of Symi, I suggest staying for at least two night to see the island properly.

Symi Island Greece

The island of Symi is really divided into two: the Harbour that you’ll arrive into by ferry or catamaran (no airport on this tiny island) with its amazing views and architecture, then the Hora at the tip of the island that once again offers stunning views down to the sea and harbour area.

My Greek island all round packing list will help you decide what to pack when you come on your Greek island vacation, whatever season.

Beautiful view of Symi island Harbour - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Beautiful view of Symi Harbour – Greece

Personally I love staying in the Hora and walking down to the Harbour…it’s a long walk back up the ‘Kali Strata’ – a set of steps (disputed in exact number, but people say anything between 250 and 365) leading to and from the Harbour and Hora – that used to be little more than a goat’s track. I either thumb a lift back up with a motor bike (this is a small Greek island after all), or take a taxi.

View of Symi island Harbour, Greece from the Hora. Life Beyond Borders — View of Symi Harbour from the Hora

Let’s not forget Pedhi Beach – the other side of the island from the Harbour – where you can take a good book and just laze on the sand (one of not many sandy stretches on the island), then lunch at a local taverna afterwards.

Where to stay on Symi island Greece

Symi Thea Hotel

I was really lucky to be afforded the opportunity to stay at the family run Symi Thea Hotel, just set back a little way down in the Harbour, or Gialos as it’s know. It helped me realise that staying down in the Harbour can be just as appealing as staying up in the higher town.

A hotel is a hotel, right? Well, yes – if you’re staying in an impersonal chain hotel. But as I hope you’ve already seen; Symi is not a ‘chain hotel’ destination. With all that gorgeous Neoclassical architecture around, you can bet your life that any hotel you stay in will be pretty special.

To me, what makes the Symi Thea stand out is that it only offers five suites – and they’re all very tastefully done out, and being only five means that the attention to detail and service is personal and of a high standard. Here you are assured of quality.

The Chatzistratis family own and run the Symi Thea Hotel with a lot of love and care. Son Panagiotis (just call him ‘Panos) happily greets you from your ferry and takes you to the hotel, showing you around, whilst his mum also gets her ‘hands dirty’ by taking charge of the daily room cleans and housekeeping ‘duties.’

When you come to Symi Thea, you’re greeted and treated like a family member – this is a Greek family running the place after all, so you’re assured of the philoxenia that Greece and the Greeks are so famous for and, delightfully, comes so naturally to them (no being nice to you purely because they’re calculating the size of their tip!)

One of the five suites at the Symi Thea Hotel - Symi island - Greece. Life Beyond Borders — One of the five suites at the Symi Thea Hotel – Symi island – Greece

Facilities of Hotel Thea – Symi island Greece: a quick glance

Housed in a renovated neo-classical building reminiscent of the island
All original features restored where possible
Oak flooring throughout
Monsoon showers / specially designed toiliteries
High speed Wi-Fi in every room plus TV
Basic breakfast provided in each room every morning (the rooms are apartments in style with their own fridge and kettle)
Balcony or patio – all with harbour views
Bathrobe and slippers
Hairdryer
In-room safe
Welcome Pack and Welcome Drink
Collection and Drop Off to ferry

To me, the charm was the originality of the building and features, and the welcome received by the Chatzistratis family. Will I go back and stay? For sure! I certainly hope I get the chance to. I hope I’ve tempted you with a Symi stay at the Symi Thea Hotel.

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Where to Stay on Symi island - Greece - Symi Thea Hotel - LifeBeyondBorders — Where to Stay on Symi island – Greece – Symi Thea Hotel – LifeBeyondBorders

Lindian Village Resort – Rhodes island – Greece

Bex Hall

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June 12, 2017

4

Lindian Village Resort – Rhodes island – Greece

Followers of my site will know that I am a big fan of the Dodecanese islands in Greece, especially Rhodes. Most of my posts written about Rhodes have tended to concentrated on the Rhodes Old Town.

My visit to Rhodes has afforded me the chance to explore a different places to stay on the island such as different luxury boutique hotels on Rhodes. This post explores the Lindian Vlllage Resort near the south of the island.

**I was a guest of Lindian Village – note that all thoughts and opinions remain my own**

Lindian Village Resort Rhodes island Greece – where is it?

I’ll be honest I’ve never really been a fan of resort hotels, preferring to take the solo travel route and stay in smaller places, but boy was I in for a surprise when I set foot in Lindian Village.

It’s located about an hour and a half away from the Old Town of Rhodes and an hour and 15 mins by car (or taxi) from the island’s airport.

What is Lindian Village Resort?

As an independent traveller, I’d always been wary of what I perceive to be package holiday ‘holidays’, but Lindian Village was to change my perception of ‘resort’ for the better.

Note: I have to add that I think Lindian Village is in a class and concept of its own as, (so far), I have not come across anything else like it.

It’s a purpose built ‘village’ consisting of whitewashed rooms and suites built over 60 acres of beachfront land. It has its own private beach too with not just sun beds, but chaise lounges and beach beds too.

Read about what to pack for your Greek island vacation, at any time of the year.
My Insider’s Guide to the Greek islands will help you plan which islands to visit

Lindian Village Resort facilities

You have a choice of dining in five restaurants ranging from Fine Dining, A la carte to Buffet. You can have breakfast in your room (extra), or eat it beside the swimming pool. This is a sit down breakfast, but there’s also a buffet breakfast option.

Swimming pool

Lindian Village Beach Resort, Rhodes island, Greece - Pool - LifeBeyondBorders — Lindian Village Pool – Rhodes

Talking of pools, Lindian Village offers a large freshwater pool, so if you don’t have a suite with your own plunge pool (more on that later), then this is a wonderful place to chill if you don’t fancy getting sandy.
This is also great for kids as there’s a lifeguard on duty (or there was when I was there), plus there’s a small kids pool.

Spa

Let’s not forget the spa. After a ‘hard day’ of sun stress on the skin, why not head to the on site spa for a massage, reflexology treatment or sauna…just some of the many treatments on offer. How about a mani or pedicure? They also have professional chiropractors if you need it – jus remember to book your treatment in advance.

Lindian Village Beach Resort, Rhodes island, Greece - Spa - Life Beyond Borders — Lindian Village Spa – © Lindian Village Resort

Suites

There are various suites on offer to suit all tastes…particularly nice for honeymooners (as I’m sure you’ll see the photos show). I was blessed to be placed in a River Passage Pool Suite which consisted of:

King size four-poster bed (sometimes with rose petals scattered on it!)
Living room
Work desk
Dining table
Bathroom with bath and separate enclosed monsoon shower
Private swimming / plunge pool with lounging area and chaise lounge

You can imagine where I spent most of my time!

River Passage Pool Suite - Lindian Village Beach Resort - Rhodes island, Greece - Life Beyond Borders — River Passage Pool Suite – Lindian Village

There’s no doubt you pay for quality and luxury, but it’s very much worth it. If you’re one who wants a very private holiday experience, this is for you.

The Greek Experience at Lindian Village Beach Resort, Greece

What I loved most about this place is their Greek Experience package. This, to me, cemented in my mind how different Lindian Village is from other ‘package’ holiday experiences. You’re not just in an impersonal hotel that could be anywhere in the world that has sunshine, a beach and cocktails. You’re encouraged, through their Greek Experience programme, to – well, literally experience Greece! This can range from:

Greek cookery classes
Greek wine tasting on the beach
An Open Air cinema night (which Greece is famous for in the summer) with a focus on Greek films
A Medieval Mystery Tour (where you’re taken to the Medieval City of Rhodes that I keep on writing about), plus much more.

So, as you can see, ‘package holiday’ doesn’t have to mean a package at all. The ‘Lindian Village Experience’ has taught me this and corrected my vision. I do hope, if you get the chance to visit Rhodes, you’ll treat yourself to a stay at Lindian Village. It’s worth it and, looking at their independent Trip Advisor reviews, they get a lot of repeat clientele. This speaks volumes.

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Where to Stay on Rhodes island Greece Lindian Village Resort - LifeBeyondBorders — Where to Stay on Rhodes island Greece Lindian Village Resort – LifeBeyondBorders

Knight’s Castle on Kos island, Greece

Bex Hall

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May 23, 2017

10

There are some great things to see and do on Kos island, Greece. I usually visit the Greek island of Kos when I am researching it to update it for the Rough Guides to the Greek islands.

I was pleased to also be able to spend some time exploring the Knight’s Castle on Kos island, Greece.

Knight’s Castle – Kos island, Greece

You can’t really miss the Knight’s Castle, Kos. It’s referred to locally and in Greek as the ‘Castle of Neratzia’ meaning sour orange tree – and a wander around it will help you understand why.

It’s located right by Kos harbour’s entrance so that when your ferry pulls up for your Greek island hopping vacation, this grand monolith is right in front of you. It’s actually on a small little island connected by a bridge, really more of a dried up moat that surrounds it.

Why ‘sour orange tree’? Well, the Knight’s Castle Kos dates back to the 14th Century and during this time, many sour orange trees (neratzia) were planted on the island. During the late 14th and early 15th Century Kos was known as Neratzia hence why the Castle’s name has stuck.

Bridge across to the entrance of Kos Castle on Kos island, Greece. Life Beyond Borders — Bridge across to Kos Castle.

Frequent visitors to Greece will have seen these trees all over the country as well as Kos island.

Update of Kos Castle MAR 2020:

Alas, Kos suffered a bad earthquake in 2017 meaning the inside of the castle had to close, so it’s not possible to go inside until further notice. But it is possible to wander around the outside and get a scale of Kos Castle.

Here I share with you some images of the inside as I visited before 2017.

Walking the walls of Kos Castle and looking into the battlements. Possible to see Turkey in the distance. Life Beyond Borders

Where to stay on Kos island, Greece

So you’ve decided to come to visit this large island and sightsee, including the Knight’s Castle, but where can you stay? If you’re anything like me, I am not a fan of package holiday/all inclusive hotels which, unfortunately, seem to blight Kos.

And let me let you into a little secret (or maybe it’s not a secret, who knows?): A lot of these hotels don’t employ local staff, so no money is going back into the Greek economy. Personally I want to try to help the Greek economy, hence why I went on a hunt for the smaller, family run establishments. And it is possible to find – as you’ll see in a minute.

**For your free Greek Island packing list ideas, click here.**

The exception to the All Inclusive

There is an exception to the ‘All Inclusive’ chain on Kos, a gorgeous Greek consortium with 30 luxurious properties across mainland Greece and the islands; Grecotel Kos Imperial Thalasso. The group also looks after the Agreco traditional farm and line of products from Crete and the Danilia traditional village and museum in Corfu, making it a truly luxurious Greek connection. I will be writing about my Kos Grecotel experience in due course.

The outside of Kos Castle on Kos Island, Greece. Life Beyond Borders

During my Kos visit, I stayed at the lovely family run Hotel Afendoulis. Located literally a 10 minute stroll away (along the seafront) from the Knight’s Castle Kos, whilst not actually along the harbour/seafront, it is down a quiet side road and the family run establishment offers breakfast up until midday (I know right?!), takes credit cards (unusual for a small place) and breakfast is none of this packaged nonsense…expect fresh bread from the bakery with homemade preserves (quince, sweet tomato being just two examples of a choice of many, even the famous neratzia). And as the family are there throughout the day (mum, dad, grandpa, daughter and son-in-law), if you happen to be around at lunchtime when they’re cooking up a wee bite to eat (OK, this is Greece, not so ‘wee’!), they’ll pull up a chair for you to join them. You are assured of feeling like you’re staying at home. Indeed for me, Hotel Afendoulis is a home away from home.

I hope I’ve tempted you with Kos. It is a ‘package holiday’ destination, no doubt about it – but it’s possible to get away from it all.